COMM 2203: Image as Communication

Historical Newspapers

Contemporary U.S. Paper Collections

Alt-PressWatch This link opens in a new window
1970–present. Newspapers, magazines, and academic journals of the alternative press.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
U.S. ethnic and minority press. Coverage back to 1960. Includes current and historical file. Provides historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals from 1959-1989.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
GenderWatch is a repository of important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgender community and the changes in gender roles over the years between 1970 to the present.

Google News Newspaper Archive
Hit and miss digitized historical collection of mainly U.S. but some international newspapers. Strongest in the recent past.

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni includes thousands of U.S. and non-U.S. news sources; legal materials: case law, statutes and law reviews; and company/business information. Collection strongest after 1990.
ProQuest Historical U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Simultaneously search:
• New York Times (1851–2019)
• Boston Globe (1872–present)
• Washington Post (1877–1999)
• Los Angeles Times (1881–1992)
• Chicago Tribune (1849–1991)
• Atlanta Constitution (1868–1984)
• Christian Science Monitor (1908–2003)
• Wall Street Journal (1889–2003)
• NY Amsterdam News (1922–1993) • historically black
• Chicago Defender (1909–1975) • historically black

19th Century U.S. Newspapers
Over 500 newspaper titles with varying 19th Century coverage. Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access.

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century This link opens in a new window
Complete texts of major 19th century African American newspapers. Includes first-hand reports of events and issues of the day, as well as biographies, vital statistics, essays and editorials, poetry and prose, and advertisements.
Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
With 7 billion genealogical records from across the globe and millions of family trees, this is the world's largest online family history resource.

Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Interface in English. Content predominately in English and some Spanish.
Digitized newspapers from 1789-1963 from numerous states. Also includes the U.S. Newspaper Directory with information about American newspapers published between 1690-1965.
Open Access.

Early American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Over 700 historical newspapers from 23 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Series 1, 1690-1876: From Colonies to Nation. Series 2, 1758-1900: The New Republic. Series 4, 1756-1922: The Rise of Industry.

NewspaperCat: Catalog of Digital Historical Newspapers
This online catalog facilitates the discovery of online digitized historical newspaper content from newspapers published in the United States and the Caribbean. Focused on mid-1800s to mid-1900s.

Papers from the NorthEast

Boston College Newspapers
The Boston College Chronicle, The Heights student newspaper, and a number of other BC newspapers, magazines, and serial publications have been digitized and are available online for reading and keyword searching
Boston Pilot
Many years are available online via newspapers.bc.edu. Additionally, CRL has digitized 1838–1857 and 1858–1865. Microfilm and print are available for other years.
Brooklyn Public Library's Newstand
This collection includes The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1841 – 1963; Brooklyn Life from 1890 – 1924; and Brooklyn Life and Activities of Long Island Society from 1924 – 1931. Black and white copies include full page scans with advertisements and articles.

NewspaperARCHIVE Massachusetts Edition This link opens in a new window
Combined searching of historical Massachusetts newspapers including (but not limited to) the Boston Post, Lowell Sun, and North Adams Transcript.
New York Amsterdam News (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
1922-1993. One of the nation's leading black newspapers.

Sacred Heart Review
1888-1918. Reporting of the Catholic Church in general and the Church in New England in particular.

U.S. Northeast Collection (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Backfiles of northeast regional papers including the New York Daily News, Philadelphia Daily News, and The News Journal.

Papers from the West Coast

California Digital Newspaper Collection
Several historical California newspapers with varied coverage from 1846–1922.

The Middle

[East of the Rockies, West of the Appalachians]

Chicago Examiner
The Chicago Examiner was one of a dozen major newspapers published in Chicago at the turn of the last century. It was known for its sensational news stories. The Chicago Public Library’s 10-year run of the Examiner, while incomplete, extends from 1908 to 1918 and represents the longest run of the paper still available.
Jewish Advocate
1905–1990. Oldest continuously-circulated English-language Jewish newspaper in the U.S.
Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access.
Polish Daily News
The first ten years (1908–17) of Dziennik Zwiazkowy, founded in Chicago in 1908 by the Polish National Alliance. Representing local, national, and international issues of concern to the Polish community, the paper continues today as the Polish Daily News.

Boston Globe (Historical + Current File) This link opens in a new window
1872 to present (full run). Searchable full text images.
Boston Herald (Historical + Current File) This link opens in a new window
Coverage from 1848 - 2018 as searchable full text images. 1992-present searchable text.

Boston Banner
Available from 1992. Independent newspaper geared toward African American community interests.
Boston Chronicle
Available from 1767 until 1770.
Boston Gazette
Available from 1719 until 1798.

World News

Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Ancestry also offers a number of international historical newspaper collections, notably: Belfast Newsletter, 1738-1925 and Ireland Newspapers, 1763-1890. Note: Must login to main site before accessing individual newspapers.

International Coalition on Newspapers
ICON's listing of worldwide newspaper digitization projects is far from comprehensive, but it's a good starting point, particularly for international newspapers.

Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni includes thousands of U.S. and non-U.S. news sources; legal materials: case law, statutes and law reviews; and company/business information. Strength from 1990 to the present. Nexis Uni replaces Lexis-Nexis Academic.
World News Connection This link opens in a new window
Full text news (1995-2013) compiled from thousands of non-U.S. media sources translated into English, the information in WNC covers significant socioeconomic, political, scientific, technical, and environmental issues and events. Coverage is by region and includes: East Asia, Near East and South Asia, China, East Europe, West Europe, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Asian Newspapers

Chinese Newspapers Collection (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to 12 English-language Chinese historical newspapers produced between 1832 and 1953. Topics reflected include the end of more than 2,000 years of imperial rule in China, the Taiping Rebellion, the Opium Wars with Great Britain, the Boxer Rebellion and the events leading up to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, and the subsequent founding of the Republic of China. The full-image newspapers provide searchable access to articles, advertisements, editorials, cartoons, and classified ads.
Times of India (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
1838-2009. The most widely-circulated English-language daily in India.

European Papers

Newspapers Of The French Revolution Of 1848 This link opens in a new window
Newspapers and periodicals published in France during the Revolution of 1848, with coverage to 1852. From the British Library.

Newspapers on Europeana
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing news, informative articles, and usually advertising. Explore the headlines, articles, advertisements, and opinion pieces from European newspapers from 20 countries, dating from 1618 to 1996.

Irish Newspapers

Irish Newspaper Archives This link opens in a new window
14 national and regional Irish newspapers, covering 1763-present.

Irish Times & Weekly Irish Times (Historical Newspapers)
Irish Times 1859-2012 and Weekly Irish Times 1876-1958. Searchable full text images.

South American and Caribbean Newspapers

Caribbean Newspapers This link opens in a new window
1718-1876. More than 140 newspapers from 22 islands, much published in English. Countries represented include Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Curaao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Bartholomew, St. Christopher, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, Trinidad, and the Virgin Islands.

Chronicling America: Hispanic American Newspapers
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
more...less...
Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
El Mosquito
El Mosquito, a “weekly independent, satirical, burlesque periodical with caricatures” in Argentina, appeared for the first time on May 24, 1863 and last in 1893. In the more than 1,500 issues, the newspaper satirized the behavior of local politicians.
more...less...
Institution: National Library of Argentina. Interface and newspaper in Spanish.

Latin American Newspapers, Series 1, 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window
Issues from more than 50 newspapers from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela dating from the 19th to early 20th century. Search and browse by title, language, date and place of publication.

Newspapers at Belgrad University
Digitized newspapers, predominately in Serbian, from the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Includes Pravda.

17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers
Over 1,200 titles, including pamphlets, proclamations, newsbooks, and newspapers drawn from the British Library. Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access.

19th Century British Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Full runs of influential national and regional newspapers representing different political and cultural segments of 19th century British society.
British Library Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
Sourced from the extensive holdings of the British Library, this database delivers a wide range of irreplaceable local and regional voices to reflect the social, political, and cultural events of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Users are recommended to check "Browse" for the list of more than 60 titles covered.

Financial Times Historical Archive
1888–2010. "World’s most authoritative daily business newspaper." Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access. (later editions available elsewhere; search the catalog for details).
Guardian and Observer (Historical Newspapers)
The Guardian 1821-2003 and The Observer 1791-2003. Searchable full text images.

Globe and Mail (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Available from 1851. Most recent 4 years not available.
Searchable full text images.

Illustrated London News
1842–2003. Digitized color images of the full run in searchable full text. Covers politics, social history, fashion, theatre, media, literature, and advertising.
Listener
1929-1991. Full run of the weekly publication, established by the BBC for reproducing radio, and later television, programs in print. Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access.
The Mirror Historical Archive
(up to 2000)

Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Includes news sources; legal materials: case law, statutes and law reviews; and company/business information from the 1970s to the present with stronger content in the 2000s.

News OneFile
You can use the advance search to filter publication location and find news articles from England and Ireland up to 2023.
Scotsman (Historical Newspapers)
1817-1950. Searchable full text images.
Sunday Times Digital Archive (London)
1822-2006. Archive of every headline, article, editorial, announcement, image, and advertisement published in The Sunday Times. Note: This database is available from the Boston Public Library, not directly through Boston College. You will need a BPL eCard (free for all MA residents and students) to gain access.

Times Digital Archive (London) This link opens in a new window
1785-2009. Over 200 years of the Times of London. Searchable full text, including news articles, editorials, obituaries, and advertising.

Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive
1902-2010. TLS scrutinizes, dissects, and applauds works of leading authors and thinkers, and reviews theatre, film, music, and exhibitions.

Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800 - 1900 (Series 2) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to information about thousands of newspapers and periodicals published in England 1800-1900. The database consolidates information from many thousands of secondary sources, including scholarly resources for press historians and innumerable reference works on the history of Great Britain.

BC Irish Studies

Irish Newspaper Archives This link opens in a new window
Online archive of Irish national and regional newspapers. Coverage across titles is from 1763 to the present. library subscription does not include Radical Newspaper Archives

National Library of Ireland: Newspaper Database
A selection of digitized newspapers from across Ireland. Searchable by city/town, county, and title. The majority only available on microfilm.

Additional Resources

Bunk History from the University of Richmond
Staff combs the internet daily for interesting articles, maps, videos, conversations, visualizations, and podcasts about the American past. We tag each of these for the who/what/where/when of the stories they tell, enabling them to be mixed and matched with the thousands of other stories in our archive. By highlighting some of the many points of connection between these overlapping stories and interpretations, we hope to create a fuller and more honest portrayal of our shared past, and reveal the extent to which every representation is part of a longer conversation.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
At the Roy Rosenzweig Center we use digital media and computer technology to democratize history: to incorporate multiple voices, reach diverse audiences, and encourage popular participation in presenting and preserving the past.

Foreign Translated News

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) This link opens in a new window
1941–1996. Transcribed and translated foreign broadcasts and news. The FBIS monitored, recorded, transcribed, and translated intercepted radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories.
World News Connection This link opens in a new window
1996–2013. Translations of selected news stories from international newspapers, wire services, and other sources.
Current digest of the Russian press This link opens in a new window
1949–present. Russian news in English. Previously titled: Current Digest of the Soviet Press, then Post-Soviet Press.
Current Digest of the Chinese Press This link opens in a new window
2015–present. Chinese news in translation.

Microfilm Highlights @ BC

Several newspapers are available in microform at O'Neill Library, including:

Atlanta Daily World (1931–2013)
Boston Evening Transcript
(1848–1915)
Boston Herald (1848–1977)
Boston Pilot (1829–2007)
Cleveland Call & Post (1934–2003)
Los Angeles Times (1970–2009)
Philadelphia Tribune (1912–2003)
Pittsburgh Courier (1923–1977)

These papers and others are shelved on O'Neill Level 1 by title.

Microfilm @ BPL

Boston Public Library offers the most complete collection of Boston-area newspapers on microfilm, as well as other titles from Massachusetts and beyond.

Microfilm @ CRL

Center for Research Libraries has a large collection of U.S. and foreign newspapers.

Mostly on microfilm, our membership with CRL entitles the BC community to borrow large amounts of this material for extended periods.

O'Neill Library

Bapst Library

Burns Library

Educational Resource Center

Law Library

Social Work Library

Theology & Ministry Library

O'Connor Library

Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies

COMM 2203: Image as Communication

Historical Newspapers

Historical Newspapers

Contemporary U.S. Paper Collections

Papers from the NorthEast

Papers from the West Coast

The Middle

World News

Asian Newspapers

European Papers

Irish Newspapers

South American and Caribbean Newspapers

Additional Resources

Foreign Translated News

Microfilm Highlights @ BC

Microfilm @ BPL

Microfilm @ CRL