Research Assistance
For help finding images in the Special Collections contact specialcollections@smith.edu.
Mortimer Rare Book Collection
The Mortimer Rare Book Collection houses the college's rare books and literary manuscripts. It is a broad, general collection that includes works from all periods (from medieval manuscripts to contemporary artists' books) and in all subject areas (from ancient history to zoology). The collection is particularly strong in illustrated books; this includes illustrated literary works in all genres, scientific and technical works, travel literature, maps and atlases, early treatises on art and architecture, and 20th century artists books.
A selection of works from several Mortimer Rare Book Collection is featured in its Online Exhibitions.
Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection's holdings include tens of thousands of photographs, slides, negatives, postcards, scrapbooks, and artwork, as well as images in print sources such as women’s periodicals, broadsides, fliers, pamphlets, and posters.
Major subject areas are:
- women's activism in the women’s liberation and suffrage movement
- women's activism in the civil rights, peace, and reproductive rights movements
- women in international work
- women in the arts and professions
- U.S. social history and family life
A selection of works from the growing collection of SSC digital images documenting women’s history from the early 19th century to the present is available on its Digital Collections web page.