Digital Collections
Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Digital Collection
View nearly 16,000 photographic negatives that illustrate urban renewal in Chicago in its positive, negative and mundane lights.
Timuel D. Black Jr. Digital Collection
Tim Black's knowledge of history, Black life and politics in Chicago is represented in this collection of his speeches, 1960s-1990s.
Harold Washington: Selected Speeches Digital Collection
The gifted orator spoke at many public and private events, especially during his mayoral administration, 1983-1987.
George Cleveland Hall Branch Digital Collection
Materials document the opening and operations of Hall Branch, the meeting place for many writers of the Chicago Black Renaissance.
Illinois Writers Project: "Negro in Illinois" Collection
Many of the Chicago Black Renaissance writers worked on this book project exploring the African American experience in Illinois.
Chicago Park District Records: Photographs
Photographs from the Chicago Park District document how the city’s parks have grown, changed and been enjoyed for more than a century.
Chicago Theater Digital Collection
Playbills and programs for drama, opera, vaudeville, dance and music at early Chicago theaters, 1848-1922.
Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
Explore Lake View Township and its evolution from an independent municipality into current Northside communities, 1860s-1990s.
Millennium Park U.S. Equities Realty Digital Collection
See a rail yard transform into a dynamic urban park.
Remembering Harold Washington Digital Collection
Chicago’s first African American mayor served from 1983 to 1987, and his legacy endures.
Philip David Sang Digital Collection
Unpublished and published works and ephemera focused on Africans and African Americans from the Middle Passage to the civil rights movement.
Civil War: Wayne Whalen Digital Archive
Camp equipment, weaponry and uniforms used on the homefront and the battlefield.
Northside High Schools Digital Collection
See photographs of high school football games, theatrical productions, dances and extracurricular activities from the 1870s to the 1950s.
Chicago Examiner Digital Collection
CPL’s 10-year run of the Chicago Examiner covers 1908 to 1918 and represents the longest run of the Hearst newspaper still available.
Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection
African American community leaders, performers, artists, writers and activists on Chicago’s South Side, 1930-1950.
A-Z Digital Collections
Chicago Public Library's digital collections document life in Chicago through archival images, documents and artifacts.
