Restoration and Research

Historical Archive

The Mauritshuis archive (1816-1994) is now accessible online

Gerard Ter Borch De Briefschrijfster MH797 Mauritshuis

The archive of the Mauritshuis – covering the period from its establishment in 1816 to its independence as a museum in 1995 – is housed at the National Archives in The Hague.

The archive bears witness to royal involvement, generous private donations and government interference. It also contains documentation on the various directors, many of whom were important figures in the field of art history. The archive is an importance resource for research into the history of museums and the collecting of art in the Netherlands, from both a national and an international perspective.

To the National Archives

The Mauritshuis archive includes:

  • Correspondence on the acquisition, administration and lending of artworks;
  • Documents about the organisation and the collection;
  • Annual reports and documents about opening to the public, exhibition, publications and queries;
  • Newspaper cuttings and other documentation.

Our archive has been digitalised to a high standard, thanks in part to funding from the Metamorfoze Programme for the preservation of the paper heritage. It has been made as publicly accessible as possible. To protect the privacy of private individuals, access to some documents that are less than 50 years old is subject to restrictions.

Archive items older than 100 years of age can be accessed online on the National Archives website. Items less than a 100 years old (up to 1953) are not accessible online, for reasons of privacy, but they can be viewed at the National Archives by appointment.

To the National Archives Make a library appointment

Some manuscripts from the Mauritshuis library collection have been digitalised as part of the Metamorfoze programme:

  • Handwritten catalogues of the collection 1867-1963
  • Collections of newspaper cuttings about the museum 1885-1927
  • Visitor registers 1866-1929
  • Registers of copyists 1817-1977
  • ‘Paintings on which the assessment of the management has been requested’ 1893-1907.

To request an appointment to view the scans of these manuscripts, send an email to bibliotheek@mauritshuis.nl.

If you have any questions about our historical archive, please contact us via bibliotheek@mauritshuis.nl.