What follows is a broad overview of holdings in the Kislak Center. Listings here are not meant to be comprehensive but rather to indicate particular areas of strength.
Over one hundred early manuscripts in the Kislak Center's holdings contain decorations or illuminations.
Many others include illustrations, including drawings and diagrams. The collections also include early manuscripts and printed books on fortification, mathematics, geometry, and related disciplines.
Following is a list of major modern collections and items (19th century-present) connected broadly to art or architecture.
Daybooks (1820-1837), including sketches and letters,of the architect of the Eastern State Penitentiary and other buildings in the eastern United States.
Prints, cartoons, caricatures, portraits, advertisements, devotional images, and small artworks, satirizing the state of medical practice, politics, or society, primarily from 19th century France.
Correspondence, manuscripts, and notes by and relating to the life and work of Mumford (1895-1990), writer and critic of cities, technology, and American culture.
Correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, and research notes regarding Zigrosser's personal and professional life as founder and director of the Weyhe Gallery in New York and as the first Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Correspondence, diaries, and drawings, 1920-1946, of this American artist and children's book creator.
Philadelphia Art Alliance Records
Correspondence, exhibition and events files, minutes, and other records, 1906-1990 (bulk 1915-1980), regarding this center and marketplace for the fine and performing arts.
Photographs and photography are contained in a number of different collections and, because of their great range, are difficult to categorize fully. The linked search provides an overview.