About the AFS Archives

The Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS Archives) is the official repository for material related to the history and development of the organization that is now referred to as AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc.

Read Our Mission Statement

AFS History

AFS Intercultural Programs began as the American Ambulance Field Service, a volunteer ambulance corps created in April 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew. Learn about how AFS was transformed from a wartime humanitarian aid organization into a groundbreaking international secondary school exchange, volunteer, and intercultural learning organization in our timeline!

View our Timeline

What's in the AFS Archives?

The AFS Archives contains more than 500 cubic feet of unique documents, photographs, memorabilia, and audio-visual material dating from as early as 1915, when AFS was founded as a volunteer ambulance corps in France. The collections are organized into four chronological record groups.

View our collection list

How can I conduct research in the AFS Archives?

Research appointments to view the archival collections at our reading room in New York City can be coordinated with archives staff on weekdays between 9:30-4:30. The appointments must be made no less than two weeks in advance, and are based on our availability. The AFS Archives staff may be able to provide thirty minutes of complimentary research for remote reference requests, based on availability.

Learn more

Can the AFS Archives staff answer my reference request?

Where can I find digitized historic photographs?

Do I need permission to use the archival materials?

AFS Janus

Read our bi-yearly, highly-anticipated publication containing exciting stories from the history and present-day activities of the organization.

Read the Latest Issue

Waldo Peirce sketching on the side of an ambulance, circa 1915-1916

Item of the Month: January 2017

A Lifelong Friendship: Waldo Peirce and Ernest Hemingway

In 1915, Harvard graduate Waldo Peirce volunteered as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service in France. After the war, Peirce went on to become an acclaimed artist with artwork in distinguished museums and private collections. Peirce painted a portrait of his lifelong friend Ernest Hemingway, which would appear on the cover of Time magazine in 1937…

The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919 Curriculum

Encourage secondary school students worldwide to become global citizens and engage them with unique primary sources through our free secondary school curriculum about the history of World War I volunteerism.

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Stories from the Stacks

Stay updated with exciting projects and newly-digitized collections in the AFS Archives!

“A burning desire to do what one could”: Archiving Arthur Howe Jr.’s Collection

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Fall 2016 issue of the AFS Janus now available online!

AFS receives C. Herbert Finch Online Publication Award

Photographs in the AFS Archives: Friends of France

Support the AFS Archives

As a non-profit repository, the AFS Archives depends upon the generous support of its friends in order to continue documenting the history of AFS and offering the highest standards available to the researching public. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation by selecting the “Donate Here” option and directing your donation to the “AFS Archives” in the drop-down menu.

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Contact

The AFS Archives is open for research by appointment only. Please contact us here:

Archival Inquiries

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If you are requesting an in-house research appointment, please include a list of archival collections needed for research, the type of project and outcome (such as if this will result in a publication), and the reason for an on-site visit. Please note that the AFS Archives does not maintain a database with current contact information for AFS alumni, so we are unable to help with these requests.
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Banner image and video: American Ambulance Field Service volunteers loading an ambulance in Alsace in 1915; Scenes from the "Our Friend France" World War I promotional film. All items are courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs, and cannot be reproduced outside the guidelines of U.S. Fair Use ( (17 U.S.C.,Section 107) without advance permission.

Explore our fascinating history

Discover first-hand accounts and original historic artifacts from the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs