The Hispanic Museum and Library

The Hispanic Museum and Library, also known as the Hispanic Society of America, was established in New York City in 1904 by philanthropist Archer Milton Huntington. The Hispanic Society operates a free public museum and reference library whose collections are unparalleled in scope anywhere in the world outside Spain.

The museum and library are home to more than 900 paintings, 6,000 watercolors and drawings, 6,000 decorative arts items, 15,000 prints, 175,000 photographs, and 300,000 books. The collections range from sculptures created during the first millennium B.C. to 11th-century manuscripts, letters, and documents to 20th-century photographs. The purpose of this massive repository is to enable audiences to appreciate and better understand the immense diversity of culture and art in countries wherein Spanish and Portuguese are predominantly the spoken languages. The Hispanic Museum and Library also hosts exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs to facilitate direct engagement between audiences, the collections, and the vast and multifaceted histories that these collections represent.