The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington (1870-1955) with the object of establishing a free, public museum and reference library for the study of the art and culture of the Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the Philippines. The collections of the Hispanic Society are unparalleled in their scope and quality outside of Spain, addressing nearly every aspect of culture in Spain, as well as a large part of Portugal and Latin America, into the 20th century. In addition to the museum, the Hispanic Society is home to a world-class research library with over 250,000 manuscripts, letters, and documents dating back to the 11th century.