APS Museum Collection

American Philosophical Society Museum

APS Museum’s online collection database was made possible by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

American Philosophical Society

The APS Museum is responsible for the American Philosophical Society’s collection of fine art, furniture, and objects; the APS Library holds the collection of manuscripts and photographs, and is a nationally recognized center for research in the history of the sciences, medicine, technology, and Early America. For more information on library collection, please visit http://amphilsoc.org/library

The American Philosophical Society Museum has a historically significant collection of approximately 3,000 artifacts and fine art objects, many dating back to the late 18th century. Objects were acquired predominantly through past APS members and scientific activities of the APS. The collection reflects the central role of the APS and Philadelphia in the founding of the nation as well as the development of science and technology in the colonies and early Republic. The collection is strongest in objects relating to early American history (especially Benjamin Franklin, the APS’s founder) and scientific and technological instruments from the 18th century through the early 20th century.

APS Botanical Specimens

There are over 2,250 herbarium sheets in the APS Museum Collection, all of which are currently on long-term deposit at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (ANSP).

Lewis and Clark

In 1805 and 1806, Thomas Jefferson gave the American Philosophical Society herbarium sheets collected by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their 1804-1806 expedition. All of the APS-owned Lewis and Clark herbariums sheets are on this database. In 2002, the ANSP published a comprehensive taxonomic discussion and digital imagery set of the combined collection of Lewis and Clark herbarium sheets. Descriptions in the APS database are from that study set: Spamer, Earle E., and Richard M. McCourt. The Lewis and Clark Herbarium, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (PH-LC): Digital imagery study set. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Special Publication 19, 2002.

Benjamin Smith Barton

In addition to the 185 Lewis and Clark herbarium sheets, the APS also owns the Benjamin Smith Barton herbarium collection (2,000+ sheets) also on long-term deposit at ANSP. These sheets are not currently available on the online database, but will be made available after the collection is photographed. To learn more about these collections, we encourage you to visit the ANSP website at:

http://www.ansp.org/research/biodiv/botany/index.php

http://apsmuseum.org/collections/online-collection/