Press Releases | Sep, 23 2022
AUSTIN – The National Archives’ Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum announces the launch of an online resource featuring highlights from the Library’s artifact collection. Since the Library opened in 1971, visitors have viewed artifacts from LBJ’s presidency in museum exhibits at the Library and elsewhere. Now, these priceless historic artifacts will be available online to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
The release of this digital archive of artifacts is part of a multi-year effort to make data, descriptions, and images from the Presidential Libraries’ artifact collections accessible on Presidential Libraries and National Archives websites. The first collection made available was from the FDR Presidential Library, released in April 2020, followed by the JFK Presidential Library, released in April 2022. At launch, a selection of key objects are featured on the site, with additional artifacts added on a regular basis.
On the new LBJ site, images are available of more than 2,000 artifacts including original artwork, ceremonial items, political and personal memorabilia, and original furnishings and decorative items from LBJ’s Oval Office. Artifact information includes detailed dimensions, historical background, and links to artists, manufacturers, and historic figures. Each record is also linked to information about LBJ Library exhibits, and to associated National Archives Catalog series descriptions and authority records, so that visitors can continue their research and visitor journeys among National Archives and Library finding aids.
Featured artifacts include:
- A 12th century funerary urn from Costa Rica, part of the decorations for LBJ’s Presidential suite at the Library
- Tomb statuettes from the T’ang Dynasty gifted by the President of China Chiang Kai-Shek and Madame Chiang Ming-Soon
- A cubist painting by the renowned muralist Diego Rivera
- Dresses worn by Lady Bird Johnson
- More than 1,500 original drawings of political cartoons published during the Johnson administration
This effort aligns with the National Archives and Records Administration’s strategic goal to make access happen by providing item-level images and descriptions of NARA holdings in all of their diverse formats available to the public.
The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum is one of 15 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the LBJ Foundation, a non-profit organization.
