Digital Collections
Explore digitized collections. Some may require signing in with a NetID to view.
Explore the Herskovits Collection
The Herskovits Library’s collection includes photographs, maps, posters, videos, books, archival materials, manuscripts, as well as art objects and other material artifacts.
Archival and Manuscript Collections
Archival and manuscript collections include personal papers, photographs, records and microforms.
Collection Highlights
The Humphrey Winterton Collection of East African Photographs: 1860-1960
Photographs that depict the breadth of African experience, document African life and European life in Africa and show the African landscape, in particular as it changed over time. The collection provides an unsurpassed resource for the study of the history of photography in East Africa.
Political Barber Shop Sign Collection
The current incarnation of barber shop signs, particularly those from South Africa, now reflect social and political message against the backdrop of style and fashion. The Herskovits Library’s collection of political “barber shop” signs has grown substantially and depicts politicians and events that resonate with South Africa and its interaction with the world. President Mandela, President G.W. Bush, Hillary Clinton and the World Cup, are just some of the images represented in this new and flourishing collection of ephemera.
Arabic Manuscripts From West Africa
A rare collection of over 5000 manuscripts from the 19th and 20th centuries. The manuscripts are from mainly northern Nigeria (Kano in particular) but also include items from Ghana, Senegal and Mali. Mostly handwritten in Arabic and Ajami scripts, these manuscripts cover a wide range of subjects from Arabic grammar, history, theology, law and astronomy to name a few, with particular strength in Tijâniyya Sufi order and Hausa poetry.
The manuscripts are split across four separate collections and serve as an excellent example of West African literacy in Arabic:
- 'Umar Falke Collection
- John Paden Collection
- John Hunwick Collection
- University of Ghana Collection
To inquire about the collection or to make an appointment to view, please contact the Herskovits Library by sending an e-mail to: africana@northwestern.edu. The collection has been partially digitized.
See the research guide for more information on the provenance and contents of the collections.
Poster Collection
Posters in the Herskovits represent a variety of social, political, and cultural issues, including public health, education, liberation and independence, political campaigns, the anti-apartheid movement, Biafra, Darfur, economics, art, publishing, and music. Through these collections, scholars and students can explore how institutions and organizations communicated with African populations from the mid-19th century through the present day.
A portion of the poster collection has been digitized.