Add Your Artifact or Document to the Collection

Thank you for your interest in donating to the Chicago History Museum. Every year, new artifacts and documents are added to the collection through the generosity of individuals and corporations. These donations help us fulfill our mission as interpreters of the city's history.

Collecting Scope

While the Museum primarily collects materials that document the Chicago metropolitan area, its collection  is also rich in objects related to the history of the United States through 1865. The collecting scope currently emphasizes the following:

Living in the metropolitan area

materials related to demographics, domestic life, family, community, neighborhoods, local history, religious life, sports, recreation, leisure, crime, and education.

Working in the metropolitan area

materials related to the changing economic base of the city, business, manufacturing, labor, transportation, and scientific and technological development.

Governing the metropolitan area

materials related to electoral politics, citizen action movements, urban planning, and education.

The built environment

materials related to architecture in its broadest social and economic context, going beyond great buildings and architectures.

Individuals and their ideas

materials related to art, literature, music, and philosophy produced by individuals in the metropolitan area, particularly as reflections on the interpretations of this area.

Collections Wish List

The Museum is currently seeking the following artifacts for its collection:

• Products and promotional materials related to Chicago-area companies, such as Abbott Lab, Motorola, Illinois Tool Works, and Lucent.
• Toys, sporting equipment, and other manufactured goods made by Chicago-area industries and used by Chicagoans, such as Radio Flyer wagons, Dr. Scholl's shoes, Tinker toys, Beanie Babies, Rand McNally globes, Wilson or Spalding balls, bats, rackets, and mitts.
• Materials that document the music scene in Chicago from the 1950s to the present, including photographs, posters, tickets, sound recordings, and other artifacts related to jazz, blues, rock, or alternative rock music.
  The Museum is also interested in materials related to independent music labels and musical groups that have helped define the music scene in Chicago.
• Objects and documents related to sporting venues, amusement parks, and other recreational areas, such as Soldier Field, Arlington Racetrack, and Riverview. The Museum is particularly interested in acquiring material related to Great America, such as tickets, photographs, prizes, and souvenirs.
• Original copies of home movies documenting Chicago families during holiday celebrations and recreational outings.
• Everyday garments worn by early Chicagoans, such as clothing worn by middle and working class families during the 19th century.
• Uniforms and other work related items used by Chicago-based employees of airlines and railroads.
• Uniforms and other work related items used by employees in the brewing industry.
• Materials related to 1960s political protest and other forms of activism in Chicago. The Museum is particularly interested in acquiring signage, pamphlets, and other ephemera related to the Civil Rights movement, anti-war protests, and the Black Power movement.
• Materials documenting Chicago's film and television industries, including posters and other promotional material related to films made in Chicago, such as the Blues Brothers, Chicago, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Untouchables, and The Sting.
• Clothing worn by Chicago teenagers on significant occassions, such as articles worn to graduation or high school dances, Quinceanera dresses, uniforms worn for first jobs, or clothing worn during religious rites of passage.
• Objects, documents, and photographs related to the practice of the Islamic faith in Chicago.
• Materials related to Playboy Bunnies, including the Playboy Bunny Bible, photographs of Playboy Bunnies, Bunny costumes, and other items used by women who worked for Playboy.

Donating artifacts or documents

Due to the volume of offers we cannot accept donated materials through the mail without prior communication.

If you have artifacts or documents that you believe would complement the Chicago History Museum's collection please review our collecting scope and then use the donation form on this website to transmit a description of your proposed donation. Should you prefer to communicate your donation offer by mail, please direct a letter describing the size, content, condition and historical significance, as well as photographs or photocopies of your proposed donation, to the following address:

Collection Committee
The Chicago History Museum
Clark Street at North Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614-6038

> Fill out our donation form online

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Chicago History Museum appraise my donation for its monetary value?

The Museum does not provide appraisals of the monetary value of materials proposed for donation or for any other reason because the Internal Revenue Service regards museums and libraries as interested parties. Monetary appraisals prepared for donors by such institutions are subject to question or disqualification.

However, professional appraisers do perform this service for a fee. To find a licensed appraiser in your area, contact the American Society of Appraisers, the International Society of Appraisers, or the Appraisers Association of America for a referral.

Can I take a tax deduction for my donation?

The Chicago History Museum is recognized as a qualified charitable organization, thus the fair market value of your donated materials is generally tax deductible. To take advantage of your deduction, you must file tax form 1040 and, depending on the value of your donation, tax form 8283.

To ensure that you receive the maximum tax benefit, it is recommended that you consult with your own accountant, attorney, and/or the Internal Revenue Service. You may also consult Internal Revenue Service Publication No. 526, Charitable Contributions, and Publication No. 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property.

How are potential donations reviewed?

Donation offers are reviewed by the Museum's Collection Committee. The Committee is made up of staff knowledgeable in both the scope of our existing collection as well as the conservation issues associated with artifact care.

The Committee uses the criteria specified in the Museum collecting scope as a guide. They also take into consideration the condition of the object and the availability of Museum resources required to properly store and care for the item. The sensitive nature of materials or ownership of copyrights may also factor into acquisitions decisions.

How long does it take for the Chicago History Museum to review proposed donations?

The CHM Collection Committee typically meets monthly to review donations proposed during the previous month. However, regular reviews may be postponed when staff time is otherwise committed to the development of exhibitions or special programs. Some donation offers also require substantial research before the Committee can adequately review them and render a decision.

Can I mail or drop off a donation?

The Museum cannot accept unsolicited donations through the mail or in person without prior written communication. If you have artifacts or documents that you believe would make valuable additions to our collection, please review the Chicago History Museum's collecting scope and guidelines for donating artifacts or documents.

Does the Chicago History Museum accept long-term loans?

The Museum does not accept long-term loans. While we do accept loan materials on a short-term basis in conjunction with exhibitions and other programs, we prefer to commit our resources to the storage and preservation of materials in the collection.

How do researchers access documents and artifacts in the Chicago History Museum's collection?

The Museum makes most of the prints, photographs, sound recordings, archives, manuscripts, architectural drawings, and published materials in its collection available to the public for research through its Research Center.

Other artifacts, including architectural fragments, paintings, sculpture, costumes, textiles, and household and industrial objects are available for research on a limited basis by prior appointment.

Will the Chicago History Museum exhibit the artifacts or documents in my donation?

The Museum cannot guarantee that any objects donated to its collection will be exhibited unless expressly collected for that purpose. Only a small fraction of the collection is on view at any given time.

However, the Museum does allocate a significant portion of its annual budget to maintaining optimal conditions in its storage areas and galleries to insure the long-term preservation of all collection materials.

Objects from the collection are occasionally loaned to other institutions for temporary exhibitions, and most artifacts and documents in the collection are made available for research purposes.

If I donate artifacts or documents to the Chicago History Museum, will they be returned to me at my request?

The Museum cannot return accessioned collection materials to the donor. Once the Collection Committee accepts your donation for the collection, you will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift, which legally transfers ownership of the materials to the Museum.