The Manuscripts and Archives and Rare Book collections encompass a variety of formats. On this page are examples of collections with strong visual components.
Printed Ephemera
The Rare Book printed ephemera collection consists of everyday printed items such as beer coasters, napkins, country stores and other material that was made for a specific purpose and now can give insight and atmosphere to a time and place. Contact our division at manuscripts@nypl.org for assistance with finding ephemera.
Menus
The Rare Book Collection has thousands of menus spanning from the late 19th Century to the late 10th Century with a focus on New York City restaurants and ship menus. The main part of the collection is comprised of the Miss Frank E. Buttolph Menu Collection. The fuller extent of the collection of menus is digitized and available via the What's on the Menu portal for more research.
Photograph collections
Robert F. Byrnes collection of automat memorabilia
This collection contains several boxes of photographs of the Automats organized by location. Most were used to document the construction and maintenance of restaurants, however there are some examples of products and patrons.
Artkraft Strauss records
Arkraft Strauss Sign Corporation was New York City's preeminent sign designer and manufacturer in the 20th century, responsible for creating some of the great icons in American advertising. Included in this collection are photographs and job files for some of their food and beverage clients.
