Collections

The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library holds the largest single collection of Grant papers and additional items in the world. It consists of some 17,000 linear feet of materials from and relating to Grant’s life, military service, and presidency.

Correspondence

Our collection contains the most complete collection of Grant correspondence in the world, including copies of every known letter written by or to Grant.

Books

Over 4,000 published monographs on various aspects of Grant’s life and times, including The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant and The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated Edition.

Digital Collections

Books, photographs, sheet music, political cartoons, postcards, and more, available online.

Photographs

Our photograph collection is made up of hundreds of images, with the majority from the Bultema-Williams Photograph Collectionwhich contains numerous cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, albumen prints, daguerreotypes, and stereo-cards. Also included is Julia Grant’s cabinet card photograph album featuring images of the Grant’s royal hosts on their famous World Tour.

Political Cartoons

The collection of political cartoons contains works published in journals such as Harper’s Weekly, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated, Puck, and other leading nineteenth century publications.

Sheet Music

Our sheet music collection contains numerous Civil War-era and Grant-related sheet music. Included are grand marches and funeral marches written in honor of the life of President Grant.

Art

The collection contains numerous pieces of artwork depicting the image and life of President Grant, including paintings, engravings, sculptures, statuettes, and other works of art. Including our four life-sized statues of Ulysses S. Grant on display in the Grant Presidential Museum.

Artifacts

The Library is home to hundreds of artifacts once owned by Ulysses S. Grant and his family. This includes President Grant’s walking stick, Julia Grant’s opera shawl, White House china and crystal, and other items from the family. We also have Civil War-era firearms, munitions, and camp life materials.

Research Notes

The Library contains the research notes of historians of the Civil War whose work focused on the life of Ulysses S. Grant. Of note are the research files of Lloyd Lewis, Bruce Catton, John Marszalek, Michael B. Ballard, and Jean Edward Smith.

Scrapbooks

The Grant Family scrapbook collection contains over thirty scrapbooks kept and maintained by Julia Grant, her son Fred Grant, her daughter-in-law Ida Honore Grant, and her grandson Chapman Grant. These scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, calling cards, event invitations and menus, photographs, and original correspondence.

Memorabilia

Our memorabilia collection contains numerous nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century items depicting Ulysses S. Grant and his time. Items include: paper weights, matchbooks, dolls, bobble-heads, pens and pencils, and other pieces of material culture that show the commercialization of the memory of Grant and the Civil War.