Holocaust Museum Houston‘s collection consists of over 7,000 items that belonged to Holocaust victims, survivors, and their families. These precious artifacts, donated by individuals who directly or indirectly experienced the Holocaust, relate the tragic and inspirational stories of our local survivor community.
VIEW OUR ONLINE COLLECTION
Browse HMH’s collection to view digital records of our objects and photos online.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE COLLECTION
If you have objects, documents or photographs that you are willing to donate, we look forward to hearing from you. Your original artifacts relating to the Holocaust and the experiences of individuals whose lives were directly affected by those events can inspire future generations and empower young people to fight intolerance, hatred, and antisemitism.
We seek materials connected to the events and experiences associated with the Holocaust and its aftermath, including Jewish life extending back to the end of WWI and forward to the close of the Jewish displaced persons (DP) camps in the mid-1950s.
The Museum is no longer accepting Nazi paraphernalia. Additionally, unsolicited donations sent through the mail or without an appointment in person cannot be accepted. Museum staff cannot provide appraisal values for donations.
To get started on your artifact donation, please fill out the donor questionnaire below and send it to info@hmh.org or 5401 Caroline St. Houston, Texas 77004. Items offered for donation are reviewed by a collections committee.
Artifacts support the mission of Holocaust Museum Houston and play an important role in teaching against the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and apathy. Conservation and preservation are necessary to protect the Museum’s collections for future generations. To aid our efforts, please consider a monetary donation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why support conservation?
What is conservation of artifacts?
Conservation is the preventative care and treatment of items in a museum’s collection to ensure the long-term preservation of historical materials. Conservation preserves items in their present condition to stop further deterioration
Can I mail or drop off a donation?
As stated above, the Museum does not accept unsolicited donations either sent through the mail or dropped off physically.
What is the donation process?
Potential donations are reviewed first by the collections staff and then presented to HMH’s Collection Committee who will vote on whether to accept the object(s) or not.
Will donations be displayed in the Museum galleries?
The Museum makes all its efforts to display the unique objects of its collection to visitors. However, collections staff cannot make any guarantees that a specific object will be displayed.
Can I request that my donated objects be returned after accession into the permanent collection?
The Museum cannot return accessioned items to the donor. Following the Collections Committee’s decision to accept the donation, the donor will sign a Deed of Gift transferring legal ownership of the donated objects to HMH.
Can I view any of the artifacts?
The objects in the Museum’s permanent collection are always available to view upon request. To do so, please contact HMH’s Registrar to set up an appointment where the object(s) can be pulled and prepared for viewing.
What can I do to improve the conservation of my objects at home?
The Collections department at HMH is more than happy to discuss conservation practices for those who wish to continue to care for their objects. If a potential donation is not accepted into HMH’s permanent collection, we will try to the best of our abilities to either recommend alternative donation sites or provide detailed instructions on how best to care for objects in one’s home. Below are two sites where one can find archival materials which help in conservation.
Benchmark Catalog | Benchmark Catalog
Archival Supplies – Best Supplies to Archive Photos & Documents – Lightimpressions
