Exhibits
now on display online
Explore The Birds of America (1827-1838), John James Audubon's monumental work of naturalist art, as well as a collection of ornithological illustrations across three centuries.
Featured Exhibits
Landscapes and Layers
Learn about the landscapes we inhabit and peel back the layers of history using the rare and detailed maps housed in the CHPL collection.
View examples of early and modern photographic formats, the history of Cincinnati and its surrounding rivers, the Cincinnati Enquirer Archive, and an interactive history map tour in a historical story through the intersection of time, place, and medium.
View high-resolution digital photos, interviews of former library staff, original documentation, and more capturing the legacy of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.
Once known as one of 19th century America's most celebrated writers, including such company as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mark Twain, Lafcadio Hearn spent nearly a decade living in Cincinnati.
Using original newspapers, photographs, handwritten letters, and rare books, this exhibit follows the literary, spiritual, and geographical journeys of this restless and complicated spirit.
From 1997 to 2017, Cincinnatians tuning in to Local 12 WKRC-TV each week saw the familiar face of host Dan Hurley on the set of “Local 12 Newsmakers.” View full, unedited episodes in this engaging virtual experience about our local civic landscape.
Between 1872 and 1894, five inclined plane railroads were constructed in Cincinnati, lifting residents of the city were eager to escape the industrial smog and cramped living conditions of the basin to the city's scenic hilltops. Get a new view of Cincinnati and the iconic "inclines" through an interactive online experience featuring rare photos, interviews, and more sourced from CHPL's Digital Library.
View the impact of the historic 1937 flood through an interactive online experience featuring rare photos, interviews, and more.
Audubon Birds of America
View one of the few intact copies of John James Audubon's Birds of America.
View hundreds of firsthand accounts, artifacts, and more of those who defended the United States - coordinated by the Library of Congress.