The institutions has two centers, one in the Paris Nanterre University campus which hosts the archives and the library.

The museum is located within the premises of the Hôtel National des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

In 1970, the archives and the library were moved to the Paris Nanterre University campus while the museum has been hosted within Les Invalides since 1973.

[2] Today the museum contains about 1,500,000 items and documents from 1870 to the present day, covering major themes of French or international history.

Collections focus on political, social and cultural concerns, and represent multiple media including paintings, sculptures, objects, engravings, drawings, posters, photos, and postcards.