The APS Museum preserves and presents the collections of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States. Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, the society has gathered a rich library of materials that trace history and science across centuries.

Since 2001, the APS Museum has brought these materials out of storage and back into the world. It is our mission to make our documents and authentic objects the center not just of a museum case, but of a conversation.

Combining our objects with commissioned contemporary art in our gallery and with user images on Flickr, we place our collection in perpetually changing contexts and encourage new perspectives on history, art, and science.