
Rare, Historical, Curious: Selections from the Collection
We are pleased to share that this exhibition is offered directly to the public, for free. Taking advantage of CHS’s prime location in the heart of the Yerba Buena cultural district, the show appears in our street-level windows along Mission and Annie Streets. Rare, Historical, Curious: Selections from the Collection considers how objects and artifacts provide a window to history. Read more
Currently on View

Rare, Historical, Curious: Selections from the Collection
A window front exhibition offering views into history that allow us to see beyond major events and names to the unfolding of more complex narratives and the unique experiences of ordinary people.

Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs
A traveling banner exhibit exploring the Chinese immigrant experience during the years of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California
A traveling banner exhibit of little-known stories of African American farmers, ranchers, and rural residents that challenges myths about California history.
Online Exhibitions

The California Flower Market
The California Flower Market, Inc. was founded in 1912 by Japanese American flower growers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, it forms one branch of the iconic San Francisco Flower Mart at 6th and Brannan, one of only five wholesale flower markets existing in the United States.

California Counties: 150+ Years Documenting California History
The California Historical Society has been collecting and sharing stories from throughout the state for more than 150 years. We strive to gather and preserve the extraordinarily diverse stories from throughout the state. It is with this in mind that staff scoured our archives to find images from each of California’s fifty-eight counties to feature in this online gallery.

Selections from the Tell Your Story Project
Tell Your Story—California in the Time of COVID-19 is an online project to document the personal experiences of people across the state as they face a historic crisis. View a selection of these stories and pictures.