Introduction

The Library of Congress houses the largest archival collection of Walt Whitman materials in the world. As part of the Library's mission to make its resources available and useful to the American public, the Library has digitized a number of these materials and has also created an array of online secondary sources that highlight Whitman's life and work. This guide compiles the many Whitman resources spread throughout the Library's website. In addition, it provides links to external websites on Walt Whitman, and a selected bibliography of publications about Whitman and his writings.

Celebrate Whitman's Bicentennial at the Library of Congress

Join the Library of Congress in celebrating the 200^th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth with a series of exhibits, events, and a digital crowdsourcing campaign to showcase the Library’s unparalleled collections of Whitman’s writings and artifacts. #WaltWhitman200

Walt Whitman Bicentennial events at the Library of Congress
Library to display Whitman collections, host 200th birthday party (June 1, 2019), open house (June 3, 2019), and film screening, and more.
"Walt Whitman at 200" Crowdsourcing Campaign
"By the People," the Library's crowd sourcing project, marks the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman's birth. Volunteers from the public have an opportunity to transcribe several thousand pages of Whitman’s writings and papers to make them more searchable and accessible online.

Selected Images of Walt Whitman from the Library's Online Collections

[Walt Whitman, three-quarter length portrait, standing, facing front]. 1849 or 1850. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Walt Whitman, 1819-1892. Created 1854. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Samuel Hollyer, engraver. Walt Whitman, 1819-1892. Created 1854. Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Walt Whitman, 1819-1892. Created 1860. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Matthew Brady, photographer. [Walt Whitman, half-length portrait, seated in chair, facing left]. [1862]. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Walt Whitman, 1819-1892. Created 1863 or 1864. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

William Kurtz, photographer. Walt Whitman, 1869. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

G. Frank E. Pearsall, photographer. Walt Whitman, 1876. Feinberg-Whitman Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Napoleon Sarony. Walt Whitman, 1878. Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Prints and Photographs Division.

Portrait of Walt Whitman at seventy. Photo by Edy Bros., 1880. Prints and Photographs Division.

[Walt Whitman, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left, wearing hat]. Photograph by Gutekunst, 1881. Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Library of Congress.

Walt Whitman, 1887. Photo by George C. Cox. Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Prints and Photographs Division.

[Walt Whitman, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left]. Photo by Matthew Brady, 1866. Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Prints and Photographs Division.

Walt Whitman: A Resource Guide

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