Explore the history of American social reform and social services 

The Social Welfare History Image Portal brings together photographs, pamphlets, artifacts and documents chronicling the history of the nation's response to human need. This history includes the work of volunteer organizations, reform movements, social workers, and government legislation and systems.

Featured Items

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story

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Educational comic book published by the Fellowship of Reconciliationfollowing the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The comic book advocates for…

Care for Her Through the YWCA: For Every Fighter a Woman Worker

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World War I poster created by Adolph Treidler to publicize the YWCA's participation in the United War Work Campaign, November 11 - 18, 1918.The United…

Annual Report of the Refuge in the City of Boston and the Bethesda Society, 1912 [selected pages]

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This document details information regarding the Refuge's and the Bethesda Society’s yearly financial expenses, donations, and membership, while also…