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Museum Collections
The Museum collects and preserves materials related to the lives and careers of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their friends, family, and associates. The Museum also acquires items that reflect political, social, military, diplomatic, and cultural life in America during the 1930s and 1940s.
The Museum does not accept unsolicited donations. Please see Donate or Contact the Museum for more information.
Description of the Collection
Franklin Roosevelt was a great collector. From an early age he gathered large collections of stamps, ship models, rare books, prints, coins, and drawings. By the time of his election as President, he had amassed one of the nation's finest collections of naval art and impressive collections of Hudson River Valley art and historical prints. During the New Deal years, he collected hundreds of examples of art and crafts work produced by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and other government agencies.
FDR placed all of his personal collections in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, which he created in 1941. These materials became the core of a Museum collection that now numbers over 34,000 items. In the years after 1941, the collection expanded to include clothing, personal items, furniture, and other materials connected to the President and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. There are also items related to their family, friends, and political associates and material that reflect the rich social, political, and cultural history of the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.
Digital Artifact Collection
The digital artifact collection provides free and open public access to records and photographs of select artifacts from the Museum’s collection.
This resource is a key part of the FDR Library and Museum’s digitization program. Work is ongoing and more records and images of artifacts are added regularly. Please check back periodically for new entries.
Museum Objects In Your Area
The Museum maintains an active loan program. Items from our collection are currently on display in exhibits around the nation. Click on the links below to find out more about current exhibits in your area that include objects from the FDR Museum.
| National Constitution Center
Boulder Dam Model. Denver, CO; 1935. Aluminum. | |
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| National Park Service - Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites  Eleanor Roosevelt kept this set of wedding scene figurines on the dining room table at her Val-Kill cottage. Set of Wedding Scene Figurines. Scandinavia, n.d. Pottery. | |
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| Walt Disney World – Hall of Presidents  President Roosevelt was a celebrated stamp collector. He collected nearly 1 million stamps during his lifetime. FDR used this "Roto-Gage" stamp guage when he worked with his collection. It was made by the Imperial Molded Products Corporation of Cicago. Stamp guage. Chicago, early 1940s. Plastic, glass, metal. | |
| New York State Capitol  During Roosevelt’s tenure as Governor of New York, he would meet with a group of Democratic leaders before the weekly meeting of the legislature for cold turkey lunches. This sterling silver cigarette box was given to FDR by members of what became known as his “Turkey Cabinet.” Turkey Cabinet Cigarette Box. Providence, RI; ca. 1930. Silver, mahogany. | |
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| The National Archives, Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery  This ivory cigarette holder with quill mouthpiece was of the type most frequently used by FDR. Cigarette Holder. Ivory, quill. | |
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| Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Grand Rapids, MI Taking the Seas: Rise of the American Aircraft Carrier Scale model of the aircraft carrier USS Casablanca. The Casablanca was built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company and sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt at its launching on April 5, 1943. The model was presented to FDR on March 18, 1943, by Henry J. Kaiser. Model of the USS Casablanca. Vancouver, WA; 1943. Painted wood, metal, and plastic. |
This model of the Boulder Dam, now known as the Hoover Dam, was presented to FDR in 1935 by the Denver office of the Bureau of Reclamation through Elwood Mean, Commissioner.Museum Research Questions
Museum staff is available to answer research questions. You may send a research query to the attention of our staff by email, fax, or postal mail. Please provide as much detailed information as possible so that we may best address your inquiry. If possible, include a photograph of any relevant objects/documents. Someone will respond to your request within 10 working days.
Email: Museum.FDR@nara.gov
FAX: (845) 486-1147
Postal Mail:
Museum Department
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum
4079 Albany Post Rd.
Hyde Park, NY12538
Phone: (845) 486-7763 or (845) 486-7743
Appraisals
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum does not appraise or authenticate historical materials, artwork, or political memorabilia. For information about appraisals and appraiser referrals, you may wish to consult the following web sites:
