Digital Images and Exhibits

The 1904 World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) marked the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, a monumental event in U.S. history. Fair organizers set out to celebrate that event and create their own monumental event. It seemed appropriate to set the Fair in St. Louis Missouri, at that time the fourth largest city in the country and part of the land covered by the Treaty.

December 9, 2012, marked the grand reopening of Central Library in downtown St. Louis after an extensive two-year renovation. Take a tour back in time and learn about Central Library's rich history that encompasses over 100 years.

This online exhibit will give you a “taste” of what is available in The Culinary Collection of St. Louis Public Library. View a variety of cookbooks, recipes, and menus documenting the culinary history of St. Louis.

The St. Louis Public Library presents "Maps of Missouri" illustrating the many ways maps convey times, places, and events. Approximately 100 maps of Missouri cities, towns, counties and the state are included in the exhibit.

Since its invention in the early 1800s, the camera has become a time machine of sorts. It possesses the unique power of capturing a singular moment in time—forever freezing the subject exactly as it was at that instant

The “Then” photos in this exhibit come from the St. Louis Public Library’s Archives which are housed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department at Central Library. The Library’s records date back to the founding of the St. Louis Public School Library.

First seen as a “cultural finishing school” for privileged young British gentlemen, The Grand Tour of the 19th century included several months of European travel between the end of formal schooling and adulthood.

The Steedman Architectural Collection at the St. Louis Public Library is a small but remarkable library of influential and rare architectural publications.

St. Louis Public Library's Digital Collections contain photographs, maps, stereograph cards, illustrations, and other documents from the Library's holdings. Items are being scanned and added on a routine basis. The current digital collection is only a small fraction of the total available materials, and is growing all the time.