California Historical Society CollectionsThe CHS Collection represents the environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural heritage of the entire state of California, including materials from outside California that contribute to a greater understanding of the state and its people. The collection comprises a diverse body of materials documenting the history of the state, including: books and pamphlets; manuscript collections; photographs; printed ephemera, periodicals, posters, broadsides, maps, and newspapers; the Kemble Collection on Western Printing and Publishing; works of art, including paintings, drawings, and lithographs; and artifacts and costumes.