Research at The Mark Twain House & Museum

The Mark Twain House & Museum maintains a collection of 16,000 museum objects and other artifacts, including an archive of more than 6,000 documents and 5,280 photographic images that were made, received or accumulated by Mark Twain and his family, friends and associates, or by The Mark Twain House as an institution.

These include books originally in the possession of, and/or annotated by Twain, his family, friends and associates; original manuscript and archival records, including letters and photographs, many of which relate to his residence in Hartford; original photographs, negatives and films; documentation related to the construction, landscaping, furnishings, and decoration of the Hartford house; and institutional records of The Mark Twain House, including those related to the restoration of the house.

Special collections include works by Mark Twain, most notably editions of his writings published during his lifetime; works by family, friends and associates; biographical and critical works; rare books and documents relating to the architecture, interior decoration and domestic life of the period; and interpretations of Twain’s image, work and characters.

Use of the archive and research library is available by appointment only. Reading Room hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. To make an appointment, call Patti Philippon, Beatrice Fox Auerbach Chief Curator, at 860-247-0998, Ext. 222, or email patti.philippon@marktwainhouse.org.

A list of your research interests is requested prior to your visit.

Photocopying service for a fee is at the discretion of the curator and will be performed by a staff member. Photographic reproduction may be possible for fragile or visual materials.

Permission to Reproduce

Possession of a reproduction does not imply permission to publish or create multiple copies. Permission to publish images owned by The Mark Twain House must be applied for in writing and is subject to standard fees.

Permission to quote unpublished material owned by The Mark Twain House must be applied for in writing. Be specific about the words and sources as well as the place and form in which they will be published. The researcher is responsible for determining whether or not the words have been published before, for obtaining permission to quote material owned by other institutions and for securing any third party copyright. The Mark Twain Company, New York, NY owns all copyrights on unpublished works by Mark Twain and Olivia Clemens.