National Portrait Gallery collection contains 12,000 records of paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and photographs which document the diversity of individuals who have made significant contributions to the history and culture of the United States. Digitized images are currently being incorporated into the database as copyright research is completed and reproduction rights are cleared.

The Catalog of American Portraits is a survey of American portraits in public and private collections across the United States and abroad. The CAP encompasses portraits of American subjects or by American artists, generally limited to one-of-a-kind likenesses such as paintings, sculpture, drawings, miniatures, and silhouettes.