Lincoln

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum holds one of the world’s finest collections of artifacts, manuscripts, books, and AV materials related to Lincoln, his family, his contemporaries, and his legacy. More than one hundred of these items are on display each day in the museum, and many of them are available to researchers in the library.

Among the items in our holdings are:

  • Almost 1,600 original letters and manuscripts written or signed by Lincoln
  • More than 19,000 books and pamphlets on every aspect of Lincoln’s life
  • More than 280 historical artifacts associated with the sixteenth president and his family
  • Approximately 320 pieces of Mary Lincoln's correspondence, by far the largest anywhere
  • The entire 20,000 pages of Robert Todd Lincoln’s letterpress books, as well as hundreds of letters by his wife Mary Harlan Lincoln, children, and grandchildren
  • More than 3,000 Lincoln-related prints and photographs
  • More than 1,000 broadsides reflecting various aspects of Lincoln’s life and times
  • More than 2,000 items of Lincoln fine art, ephemera, and popular art and crafts that reflect Lincoln’s legacy and collective memory 

Accessing the Collection

All requests for Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library materials are made through our online request system, Aeon. Visiting researchers may request items for use in the Reading Room, which will be retrieved by staff members.  To discover more about our library's holdings, please visit our various collections pages.  You'll find that each department Audiovisual, Published, Manuscripts, Oral History, and Newspapers on Microfilm has unique finding aids and search suggestions. For questions and contact information, review our Access page.

Artifact Appraisals and Authentication

ALPLM staff may occasionally provide verbal opinions regarding authenticity to other nonprofit, educational, or cultural institutions for professional or educational purposes only. However, the ALPLM does not authenticate or provide a written or verbal appraisal of material for donors, lenders, or other outside entities.  All such requests should be directed to the American Society of Appraisers, the Antique Appraisal Association, the Appraisers Association of America, the International Society of Appraisers, or any other appraisal referral organization. 

Potential donors looking to take advantage of tax benefits or other pecuniary considerations should acquire an appraisal. Donors with an appraisal should notify and coordinate with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.


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