Although Alexandria is fortunate to have several specialized museums, Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum is the only one that collects and interprets artifacts and history from all periods of the City's past, from the periods before its founding in 1749 through the present day. The collection includes architectural fragments removed from the building during renovation, furniture, textiles, ceramics, silver, glass, records from Alexandria businesses, tools, art, newspapers, toys and almost anything else that would help to tell the community's story.

The museum collects artifacts representing all time periods of Alexandria and the surrounding region's past, as well as objects relevant for interpreting The Lyceum as a historic site. If you know of any artifacts that would be of interest to the museum, please contact the museum's Curator for more information at 703.746.4994.

Some particular strengths of the collection include:

• Alexandria Silver
• Alexandria Stoneware
• Alexandria Furniture
• George Washington Commemoration

Like all professional museums, the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum abides by a Collections Policy in acquiring and caring for collections. The Historic Alexandria Museums worked together to create a set of collections policies that define the scope of each museum’s collections and set policies for caring for them in accordance with the special needs of each collection.

The goal of the Museum is to actively preserve and interpret this historic landmark and its collections in order to foster an appreciation by Alexandria residents and the general public of its historic value. The Museum staff is additionally responsible for preserving and interpreting the Friendship Firehouse Museum and Friendship Firehouse collection.

Collection Goals: The purpose of the museum's collection is to provide for the preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of material culture pertaining to Alexandria's comprehensive history and the city's role in American history. As both a community history museum and a historic site, the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum collects artifacts representing all time periods of Alexandria and the surrounding region’s past, as well as objects relevant for interpreting The Lyceum as a historic site.

The Friendship Firehouse Museum and Friendship Firehouse collection consist of the building and objects of the Friendship Fire Company, and the organization’s twentieth-century incarnation, the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association; it is not a collecting museum.

The staff collaborates with other local museums and historical organizations to ensure that artifacts are placed in the most appropriate repository for long-term preservation and educational purposes. The museum will collect only those objects for which professional care, storage and security can be provided.

Acquisition: The museum's permanent collection is established through gifts, bequests, purchases, transfers from other institutions, and collecting by staff members. Prior to acquisition each object will be evaluated by the Director and Curator.

Please submit your Reproduction Request for approval by the Office of Historic Alexandria, after reading the Fee Schedule and Reproduction Conditions below. Once your request is approved, you will be sent a payment link.
 

Reproduction Request Form
 

Reproduction & Publication Fee SCHEDULE

Reproduction & Publication Fees (printable PDF)

Reproduction Fees

• Digital Images (educational, academic, scholarly use): $25 per image
• Commercial use, for profit: $50 per image
• New scanning: $15 per item New photography: $25 per image
• Special handling fee, new photography: $100 per item
  (for oversize objects/materials or those with special requirements)

Please note that the physical condition or donor/copyright restrictions may limit what can be reproduced.

Publication Fees

• One-time use in a book or article: $25 per image
• Commercial use, for profit: $100 per image, or as determined by Office of Historic Alexandria
   

Reproduction Conditions

1. The intended use of the material is approved in advance by the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA).
2. Permission to reproduce is intended for one usage, in one publication, one edition and one language. Additional use of the same image requires a new permission request.  A photographic copy or any facsimile of the image may not be reproduced by others.
3. The credit line for archival or photographic material must be cited as advised by OHA staff.
4. The image(s) must remain whole and unaltered, except with permission of OHA staff. If a detail is used, the word “detail” must appear in the caption or credit line. 
5. Special permission must be obtained if the reproduction is to appear on a book jacket, DVD or CD cover, calendar, brochure, poster, advertisement, video, web page or other commercial product. Fees will be required for cover and commercial usage.
6. In authorizing the reproduction of works in its collections, OHA does not surrender its own right to publish or grant permission to others to publish works from the collection.
7. It is the requester's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permissions when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials in OHA's collections.
8. The Office of Historic Alexandria/Museum will receive one complimentary copy of the publication or product in which the reproduction appears.
9. After approval of your request, reproduction fees are payable in advance, whether or not the materials are used. Make checks payable to the City of Alexandria. For credit card payments, please pay online. 
10. The user agrees to abide by the above statements and further agrees to indemnify the Office of Historic Alexandria and the City of Alexandria in the event they knowingly or unknowingly violate any intellectual or physical property rights of any entities with rights to the requested materials.