Historical images on the Internet

March 18th, 2010
  • What are the best sources for historical images on the Internet? The images I am looking for should include ownership/ information, as I will contact the owner for permission to reproduce or publish the image. I am mainly interested in American history of all periods through the 19th century, most any subject matter, but especially everyday life, politics, and industry. The images should be well documented as to subject matter, and, if possible, artist/photographer, etc. The sites I use regularly include the following. Obviously, I am interested only in sites other than those listed. I am sure I am missing some. Help? University of Virginia Digital Image Library] Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Making of American (both U Michigan and Cornell) History Channel Digital Library Library of Congress National Archives Smithsonian Institution (all museums) National Gallery of Canada New York Public Library Wesleyan University Davison Art Center (and links) Yale University Library Denver Public Library


  • Dear interp, Here are eleven links - I hope they are what you are looking for. 1. Smithsonian Institution: Library and Archival Exhibits on the Web: http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/Online-Exhibitions/ 2. Virtual Library Museums: This service is brought to you by Jonathan Bowen as part of VLmp: http://vlmp.museophile.com/libraries.html 3. University of Houston Libraries: Special Collections Web Resources: http://info.lib.uh.edu/speccoll/specres.htm 4. Canada's Digital Collections: Subject index: http://collections.ic.gc.ca/E/subject.asp 5. National Archives of Canada - Digital Collections: http://www.archives.ca/05/0599_e.html 6. Cleveland Digital Lib: "A digital collection of texts, maps, and images, as well as access tools for digital and non-digital works, all concerning the history of greater Cleveland and the Western Reserve region of northeastern Ohio. Supported and maintained by Special Collections in the Cleveland State University Library." 1997-2002 by Cleveland State University. http://web.ulib.csuohio.edu/SpecColl/cdl/ 7. Berkley Digital Library SunSITE search page: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/nph-search 8. University of California: Bancroft Library: California Heritage Collection: http://sunsite.Berkeley.EDU/CalHeritage/ 9. The Archival Research Catalog: "The ARC is the online catalog of NARA's nationwide holdings in the Washington, DC area, Regional Archives and Presidential Libraries." "124,0000 digital images can be searched in ARC." U.S. National Archives & Records Administration http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/index.html 10. UCalBerkeley Library Research Using Primary Resources: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html 11. Digital Librarian: Images: http://www.digital-librarian.com/images.html ..."find in page">history Additional Link: Google Directory Library: http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Libraries/ Search Strategy: None. These are bookmarks we have on our own computer for research purposes. We're happy to share them with you. Sincerely, hummer


  • P.S. You may also wish to search/browse the resources available via "InfoMine: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections": http://infomine.ucr.edu/ An advanced function is included. Again, many sites will probably be known to you, but there may be some unfamiliar gems waiting to be found.


  • This answer was helpful. Seven of the 12 links were new to me. Nice fast service. I will do this again!


  • Hi interp, Are you aware of the various "stock image" agencies such as Hulton Archive? Since they're not included in your list, I assume that you have rejected them for some reason.


  • Hi again, Thank you - I'm glad you found most of our links useful. Here's a supplement - Archival digital imaging seems a very large and extensively cross-referenced subject. It's not surprising that you, a person so interested in it, would already be familiar with many sources already - please excuse the overlap. For example, "Other Digital Image Collections" page at Berkeley Digital Library: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Collections/otherimage.html includes links to a number of State and local sources as well as a link to the "Clearinghouse of Image Databases" at the U of Arizona. See: http://www.library.arizona.edu/images/image_projects.html Here's another likely overlap, if relevant: "The American Heritage Virtual Archive Project, a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Duke University, and the University of Virginia, is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Project is creating a shared database of EAD-encoded finding aids describing and providing access to collections documenting American history and culture." The introductory page is accessible via the Berkeley SunSite: 2000 University of California Regents. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/amher/ Sorry not to be familiar with EAD and SGML/XML, but I hope the hyperlinks from the AmHer site will lead you ever on in your search. Salem State College Library: Databases by Subject: http://www.noblenet.org/ssc/remote/datasub.htm ...also alphabetical and descriptive listings. MuseumStuff> Database Resources for Museum Professionals - Links and Resources: http://www.museumstuff.com/professionals/databases/ Many images are probably(?) locked up in databases not searched by web engines and many databases are only password accessible or by subscription - but perhaps you'll get some new leads to follow. I'm sure there are still many more image sources available that persistence will uncover, e.g., at the State, town & city, and regional levels(?). Again, thank you, hummer


  • Are you aware of the Google Images search? Researcher PinkFreud-ga clued me in on its wonders and I now use it frequently!







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