Sawmill_workers_Howes
Sawmill workers, photo by the Howes Brothers

The Hampshire Room for Special Collections contains thousands of images documenting local history, including images of farms, factories, shops, schools, and local residents both well known and anonymous. The Northampton image collection comprises prints, glass and film negatives, lantern slides, etchings and stereographs.  Other collections include the Elbridge Kingsley, Robert Emrick and Walter Corbin Collections, and the Daily Hampshire Gazette negatives from 1954-2004.

Fine Arts

The Forbes Library holds a substantial collection of paintings, engravings, photographs, sculptures and other works by local, regional and nationally-known artists of the 18th to the 21st centuries. Among the art on permanent display are works by Leonard Baskin, Howard Chandler Christy, Lionel Delevingne, Elbridge Kingsley, Samuel F.B. Morse, Barry Moser, Elliott Offner, and others. The works can be viewed any time the library is open. Images of most of the fine arts collection can be seen in our online special collections portal.

New (2023): Artist Talks audio recordings

Research / Finding Images

Are you looking for a photograph of an ancestor? Or an old map or photo of your house? Need illustrations for a book or school project?

Start Your Search Online

Consult a Librarian

Our online resources cover only part of the collection, so if you don’t find what you are looking for online, please get in touch with us. We may be able to quickly find the image you are looking for, or arrange for you to come in to browse a portion of the collection. Contact the Arts & Music Department at 413-587-1013 or email us at archives@forbeslibrary.org.

Articles and Guides

The Angel of Hadley
The story behind this famous painting.
The Life and Death of Old Main
This article, published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, describes Mark Majeski’s photographs of the ruins of Northampton State Hospital.

Using Images / Licensing

Image Use Policy and Fees
Image Reproduction Fee Schedule
Application for Image Use (4 pages PDF)