Traveling Exhibitions

Traveling Exhibitions

Traveling exhibitions are available to rent or purchase for display at any site in the United States. These informative, colorful pop-up displays cover subjects in American history, from leading figures like Alexander Hamilton to important events like World War I and topics like immigration.

 

All the exhibitions feature primary source documents, many from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, that reveal the public and private words of people living at the time. In addition to the exhibition itself, the Institute provides set-up instructions and an exhibition guide featuring background information on the exhibition and its content.

 

You must be logged in to a free Gilder Lehrman account to complete your rental or purchase.

Log in or Sign Up
Students look at a historical traveling exhibition about the life of Frederick Douglass.

NEW: Enhance Summer Learning at a Discount 

This summer, traveling exhibitions are available for twice the rental time at no extra fee! Typically, exhibitions are available for four-week display periods for a fee of $450. We’re doubling the display time for any institution that books an exhibition for a display period beginning between May 26 and August 1. All rental requests beginning in that window will automatically be offered this discount! Rental fees cover all shipping, the exhibition, and supplemental materials to enhance community learning.

If you’re ready to take advantage of this offer, just fill out our rental request form and be sure your requested start date is between May 26 and August 1. Our team will be in touch within two business days to confirm your dates and your participation in this special offer. 

 

Coming Soon: Declaration 1776 

When the Declaration of Independence was issued, the idea that “all men are created equal” was revolutionary. With this seminal document, the Founding Fathers unleashed an open-ended driving force that would shape modern history. Around the world, other countries have declared independence taking the US Declaration of 1776 as a model. This exhibition uses primary sources to illustrate how Americans and people across the world have been inspired by the Declaration in their pursuit of equality and self-determination. 

This exhibition will be available for pre-booking in June 2025 with rentals beginning in time to celebrate Independence Day! If you are interested in being notified when bookings are available, please fill out the Traveling Exhibition Inquiry Form and select “Declaration 1776” as your exhibition. 

Current Traveling Exhibitions

GLC0482.08.02 cropped

Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary

Becoming the United States: Colonial America to Reconstruction

Becoming the United States: Colonial America to Reconstruction

GLC09627.28 Berlin Airlift cartoon

The Cold War

View of Frederick Douglass's portrait taken from his autobiography My Bondage and my Freedom

Frederick Douglass: Advocate for Equality

Paul Revere's Boston Massacre print in color

Freedom: A History of US

GLC09668

Immigration: An American Story

GLC10091

Who Can Vote?: A Brief History of Voting Rights in the United States

GLC09550

World War I and America

GLC09542

World War II: Voices of Service

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, please fill out our traveling exhibitions inquiry form. To learn more about each exhibition, click on the cards above!

General Questions

What are the costs?
• To Rent: $450/four weeks for most exhibitions; $900/four weeks for Freedom: A History of the United States
• To Buy: $1875 except Freedom: A History of the United States, which costs $2950. Optional Travel Case: $375, is recommended if sharing exhibit among many locations.

Do I need to pay sales tax?
State sales tax laws vary. You may be liable for sales taxes. The Gilder Lehrman Institute will contact you about your potential sales tax obligations.

How can I pay?
We can accept credit cards, checks, or purchase orders, but we cannot currently accept bank transfers.

Do you offer any discounts or grants?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer any discounts or grants at this time. We recommend Donors Choose for schools needing financial assistance to rent or purchase an exhibition.

How do you ship the exhibitions?
Exhibitions are shipped in wheeled cases measuring 15 x 15 x 40 inches and weighing approximately 75 pounds. FedEx handles all shipping. Once your exhibition has shipped, you will receive a tracking number.

How do I set up the exhibition?
We include detailed setup instructions with each rental. Please note that different exhibitions have slightly different setup instructions, so make sure you refer to the correct type of exhibition.

What happens if something breaks after I receive my exhibition?
We are always here to help you troubleshoot or order new parts. The venue will bear the costs of replacement parts due to venue error or excessive wear and tear.

Rental

How long is the rental period?
4 weeks. Please let us know if you would like a longer booking period, and we will do our best to accommodate you! However, we cannot offer discounts for shortened booking periods.

How far in advance should I book my rental?
It is best to book 2–3 months before your desired rental date, but we can accept bookings up to a year in advance. Please note that we do not ship exhibitions until they have been paid in full, so keep this in mind when booking your exhibition.

What is included in my rental fee?
The rental cost is a flat fee that covers shipping, the exhibition, and supplemental materials. Extra charges will only occur if a venue damages an exhibition.

Can I bring the exhibition to multiple venues during my rental period?
Exhibitions are limited to the location booked in the contract. While you’re free to move the exhibition to different buildings or rooms within your contracted location, we do not allow any circulation of the exhibition otherwise. If you need to feature an exhibition at various locations, we recommend purchasing it rather than renting it.

Can I reschedule my rental?
If your new rental dates are available, we will happily reschedule your rental, provided the exhibition has not already shipped to you.

How do I ship the exhibition back to you?
We’ll send you a FedEx label up to 10 days before the end of your display period and set up a pickup appointment for your exhibition return. Please remove any labels from the case before attaching the new one, and let our team know if there are any special instructions for FedEx.

Purchase

What materials are included in my exhibition purchase?
With your purchase, we order a brand new exhibition to send you. Each panel comes in its own zipped sleeve for storage and transport. You will also receive all the supplementary materials you would receive with a rental, including the Exhibition Guide and setup instructions.

Does my purchased exhibition come with the travel/storage case?
The travel/storage case is a separate purchase. You can add a case for your exhibition for an additional $375 on the same menu where you bought the exhibition. All exhibitions can fit into one case except Freedom: A History of the US, which needs two.

Is shipping included in the purchase price?
Yes!

Can I purchase a “used” exhibition instead of a new one for a lower price?
Unfortunately, this is not currently an option, as all of our existing exhibitions are part of our rental stock. If your school needs financial assistance to purchase an exhibition, we recommend checking out Donors Choose.

How long will it take to receive my exhibition?
Once we receive payment, please allow 2 weeks to print and ship your new exhibition. Exhibition orders are not sent for printing until we receive payment in full.

Setup Guides

How do I set up my exhibition?
You can find all of our exhibition setup guides below. Please note that there are currently three exhibition bases, each needing different setup instructions. Please refer to the instructions sent to your venue’s exhibition coordinator when in doubt.

Old-style exhibition base setup guide: Use this guide if you’ve rented Alexander Hamilton, Becoming the US, Freedom: A History of US, or WWI. Most Immigration exhibitions will also use this guide.

New-style metal exhibition base setup guide: Use this guide if you’ve rented Frederick Douglass: Advocate for Equality. Some copies of Immigration: An American Story will use this as well.

New-style plastic exhibition base setup guide: Use this guide if you’ve rented Who Can Vote?: A Brief History of Voting Rig. 

Where Our Exhibitions Have Traveled: 2023–2025