Hidden Collections Brought to Light

  Over 8000 artifacts from the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society may now be accessed and viewed online at http://emuseum.chs.org:8080/emuseum/.

Highlights include tavern signs dating from the 18th through the early 20th century, over 1000 lithographs printed by the Kellogg lithography firm of Hartford during the mid-19th century, and a huge collection of material relating to G. Fox & Co., the popular Hartford department store.  Much of this material is kept in storage and previously was only available for viewing during special exhibitions or upon request.  Now anyone with a computer can explore more of the collection from the comfort of his or her own home.

The results can be fascinating.  A simple search for “Charter Oak” not only brings up oil paintings, prints, and drawings of the Charter Oak itself but also an ad for “Charter Oak Shirts,” a “Charter Oak” brand thread box, chairs made from the wood of the Charter Oak, and other artifacts and images associated with the famous tree.  A search for “War of 1812” connects to the uniform coat of Commodore Thomas Macdonough, a vest worn by Captain James Lawrence (known for his dying words “Don’t give up the ship.”), and ceramics with views of the Battles of Stonington and Commodore Macdonough’s Victory at the Battle of Plattsburg.  A search for “Fairfield” retrieves a print and a drawing of a winter scene in Lyons Plain, a postcard showing flowering dogwoods in Greenfield Hill, and a silver spout cup that belonged to Eunice Dennie Burr, and which, according to family tradition, survived the burning of Fairfield by the British during the American Revolution.

Try searching for your town or family name.  You might be surprised what you find.  If you don’t find what you’re looking for, try again later; the database is updated daily and new artifacts are being added all the time.  And please feel free to contact research_center@chs.org to learn about more than 200,000 additional artifacts in the CHS collection. Everything in the collection, including items in the new online database and our other online resources, may be viewed in person in the Research Center at the Connecticut Historical Society.  The Research Center is open Tuesday through Friday, 12-5, and Saturdays from 9-5.  No appointment is necessary.  For more information, go to www.chs.org. For additional online catalogs and finding aids, check out www.chs.org/research.