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Collections

The Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum (ONHM) provides historical information about NIH, its research, and its role in protecting and strengthening the health of all Americans. Our main collections consist of an archive of documents and photographs from NIH's 100+ year history, plus Stetten Museum objects that reflect the history of the individuals, research, and programs across NIH’s Institutes and Centers. In addition, ONHM maintains an extensive array of oral-history interviews of NIH staff and collaborators, a substantial collection of historical trade catalogs, and an equally extensive set of historical manuals for various sorts of research equipment. Click on the images below to explore our collections, or use the search box to look for a specific item.

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Browse our collections

From 2026 oral-history interview of Dr. George Pavlakis (NCI) by Gabrielle Barr, ONHM Senior Archivist

The Office of NIH History and Museum both conducts and collects oral histories from people associated with NIH history.

Interior of ONHM warehouse in Gaithersburg, MD

The ONHM object and artifact collection ranges from laboratory equipment to diplomatic gifts, dating mostly from the mid-to-late 20th century. T…

Drs. John W. Daly, Takashi Tokuyama, and Bernhard Witkop examining the structure of the frog venom batrachotoxin with the molecular model of the venom.

The ONHM photograph collection contains materials such as slides, prints, negatives, contact sheets, and digital photos. It primarily showcases …

1955 DuPont Teflon Manual Cover

Donated by NIH laboratories and staff, this collection features trade catalogs and similar literature on biomedical equipment, laboratory suppli…

Navy background with light blue rectangle on right. In the blue rectangle is a black illustration of an amino acid analyzer.

Donated by NIH laboratories and staff, this collection includes manuals, operating instructions, and technical bulletins for equipment from the …