Artifacts, Documents and Stories About Immgirants---The Tenement Museum Collections

Objects discovered in 97 Orchard Street are the heart of our collections.

Death certificates and other documents that reveal clues about tenement dwellers.

Images of 97 Orchard and the neighborhood offer glimpses of life on the Lower East Side.

The first-hand accounts of people who lived in tenements and on the Lower East Side.

Archeological dig in the backyard of 97 Orchard Street, 1988

From excavating the back yard to peeling away wallpaper. See how we discovered artifacts hidden in 97 Orchard Street.

We recently rehabilitated the 4th & 5th floors of 97 Orchard. Sealed for over 50 years, the floors were covered in dirt and debris. As we cleaned, we unearthed a number of interesting artifacts.

All requests to conduct research at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum must be made in writing.
A signed and completed researcher application form may be sent via e-mail to collections(at)tenement.org, via fax to 212-431-0402 or via letter mail to Collections Manager, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 91 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002.
Queries are answered in the order in which they are received. It may take two weeks before you receive a response to your initial inquiry.
If our holdings are substantial, staff may recommend that you schedule an onsite research appointment.
If there is limited material, staff may make photocopies of the relevant items and mail them to you. There is a charge of $.25 per page for photocopies.
If you are unable to visit the Museum, staff can conduct research on your behalf. If the research takes longer than 30 minutes, research fees of $25 per hour apply. Charges may be billed to your credit card.

Reproduction, public display, or distribution of an image from the Museum's collection from any copy format (digital or print) via any medium requires the permission of the Museum.
The Museum determines and collects a permission fee for such uses.
Fees will vary depending on the specifics of each request, including print run, and are subject to change.
Uses in advertisements, film, digital formats, newspapers, magazines, calendars and other high exposure or technologically advanced media are negotiated on a case by case basis.
Uses deemed "personal" by the Museum do not require the payment of a permission fee.
Scholarly use fees apply to uses that are clearly grounded in scholarly pursuits, such as monographs and dissertations. In most cases, "scholarly use" fees will also apply to the publications of not-for-profit organizations.

For further information about ordering and using reproductions, please contact the Museum's Collections Manager by telephone at (212) 431-0233 ext. 226, by fax at 212-431-0402, or by e-mail at collections(at)tenement.org.

The Museum acquires objects for its collections via gift, purchase, exchange, transfer, field collections, excavations, and loans.
Each acquisition is considered on the basis of its ability to further the Museum's mission and the Museum's ability to care for, use, and benefit from the object.
The Museum's collections consist of objects suitable for display, research, and loan.
Curatorial staff will consider items for the permanent, exhibition and archive collections.

The Museum will accept loans as part of its collection for a specified period of time. Objects in the loan collection must significantly enhance the interpretation of 97 Orchard Street and/or be used in a temporary exhibition sponsored by the Tenement Museum.

To make a loan or donation, contact the Collections Manager at collections(at)tenement.org or 212-431-0233 x.226.