Subject Research Guides
Visual Resources Guide
Art and Cultural History
The
Bridgeman Art Archive
A collection of cultural and historical art images from museum collections around
the world. Part of Bowman Library's subscription database Credo Reference.
WorldImages
A database
of 65,000 images, compiled by the California State University system
and freely available for educational purposes; categories include art
and architecture, history, material culture, science, and more.
Art Images for College Teaching
A free-use educational resource containing art and architecture images from
several periods in history.
Smarthistory
Designed by two art professors, this multimedia site is meant as an accompaniment
or substitute for the standard art history text. Organized by time, style, artist,
and theme.
Web Gallery of Art
A virtual
museum with a searchable database covering European art from 1100 to
1850. A free resource for students and teachers.
World Art Treasures
Search by
country, artist, and period from prehistoric times to the 20th century.
Great Archaeological
Sites
Images and virtual tours of archaeological sites from around the world from
prehistory to the Middle Ages, mostly in France. Also includes one Romanian
and two Egyptian sites.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Search for
works of art in the museum's collection using the collection
database, the curatorial
departments, or the Timeline
of Art History.
Illuminated
Manuscripts Collection from the British Library
Images of
illuminated manuscripts from the 8th to the 15th centuries. Zoom-in
and enlargement options for ease of viewing.
Art History Resources on the
Web
A collection of web links to art and cultural history sources on the
web, compiled by an art history professor at Sweet Briar College in
Virginia. Organized by period and type of art.
History
Digital Egypt for
Universities
From the Petrie
Museum of Archaeology in London, this teaching and research tool is
intended for use in higher education. Content (images and text) includes
archaeology, communications, technology, and sciences.
Egyptian
Lantern Slides (from the Brooklyn Museum, available via flickr)
Egyptian archaeological
scenes from the glass lantern slide collection of the Brooklyn Museum,
many taken in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
BBC History
Text, image
galleries, animations, and videos from ancient history through modern.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring
the French Revolution
Essays,
images, texts, maps, etc. written and edited by two acclaimed French
history scholars, and produced by George Mason University and the City
University of New York.
Imaging the French Revolution;
Depictions of the French Revolutionary Crowd
Images of crowds and crowd violence during the French Revolution, as well as
an essay that interprets the roles of women in the Revolution. From George Mason
University.
Vistas: Visual Culture in Spanish America
1520-1820
Images and more about Spanish America.
Mexico:
From Empire to Revolution
Getty Institute
photographs that chronicle Mexican history from 1857 to 1923.
Art of the First World War
An exhibition
of 100 paintings that depict the First World War. Click on the British/American
flag for English.
World War One Color Photos
Color photographs of the First World War.
Seventeen Moments in Soviet History
Primary source material, including images and maps, of the Soviet era.
New York Public
Library Digital Gallery
Free access
to the very large collection of digital images from the New York Public
Library. Far-ranging collections on topics that include history and
geography, industry and technology, culture and society, and arts and
literature.
Library of Congress American
Memory Collection
Digital collection
on many aspects of the American experience. Includes photographs, maps,
ephemera, and more, all from the collections at the Library of Congress.
Calisphere - A
World of Primary Sources and More
Digital images
of photographs, posters, ephemera, and diaries from California history.
A project of the University of California.
ECHO (Exploring and Collecting History Online)
A directory of more than 5,000 websites devoted to the history of science, technology,
and industry. Search by keyword, historic period (including ancient, middle
ages, and early modern), or content, such as images. From George Mason University's
Center for History and New Media.
Life Photo Archive
Photos from the archives of Life magazine going back as far as
the 1750s. Very useful for American history and culture.
Maps
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
A digital collection of over 20,000 maps from the 18th and 19th centuries; covers
the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Includes zoom-in tools for
ease of viewing.
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
Over 11,000
maps from all parts of the world from the University of Texas collection.
Includes historical, as well as maps of current interest. Also includes
links to many other digital map collections.
Library of Congress
Map Collections
Maps from
the collections of the Library of Congress. Includes maps of cities,
towns, and countries, discovery and exploration, cultural landscapes,
and transportation and communication, as well as others. Maps of the
world as well as the Americas are included.
Mapping History
From the University
of Oregon, this project provides "interactive and animated representations
of fundamental historical problems and/or illustrations of historical
events, developments, and dynamics." Covers American, European,
Latin American, and African history.
Analyzing Images
Material
Culture - Images
Written by an art historian at UCLA, this essay includes discussion
of the meaning of images, images as symbols, understanding the social
contexts in which images are placed, and considering the social conditions
under which images were made. Also includes a sample analysis of a map
and a good bibliography on visual culture.
Copyright Issues for Using Images
Many of the image resources listed above allow for free use for educational purposes. However, users are advised to search within each website to see what kinds of rights are allowed. For more complete information on copyright issues and images, see Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia from the University of Texas.
Page Last Updated: May 10 2011
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Research Tips
These Research Guides have been prepared by librarians to assist with your research. Read more:
Critically Analyzing Information Sources
Searching Electronic Resources Effectively
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