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UCSB Visual Resources Collection - a growing online collection, accessible through MDID (requires account - request link is on main page) ARTstor - over a million images and counting, available to the University of California through license (self-registration; instructor privileges on request - download the ARTstor quick guide [PDF] to help you get started) VRC Blog - keep abreast of collection additions, interesting image sites, and more There is a huge number of digital image sources available online, which are useful for research, digital teaching, and student assignments. They range from highly controlled and standardized (e.g. museum websites) to some-guy-with-a-scanner, but high quality images can be found in most of them (not all will allow downloading but instead have online only access to high quality images). There are also some image search tools that will do title, subject, artist, or collection based searching. Some of these require user license agreements, such as those set up by UC and/or the California Digital Library (CDL). In all cases it is imperative to read the site's copyright information, especially before downloading the image. This is a very organic list - check in often for additions and changes. Note: all links will open in a new browser window. sections: museum websites with collections online (a small sampling)Museum Computer Network's list of links to over 1,700 museums worldwide The Museum of Online Museums - links to museums big and small Euromuse - links to primarily European museums north america Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - this digitizing project, with over 82,000 images, employs "Zoom" technology, allowing for incredible detail The Norton Simon Museum - a large and growing online digital collection, with a zoom-in feature (but no downloading) LACMA - nearly 70,000 works now online Digital Resources at The Getty Library and Museum Highlights Metropolitan Museum, NY - view highlights or search the collection The Chicago Art Institute - growing selection of the AIC collection - large image available when copyright allows The Canadian Museum of Civilization - extensive exhibition pages; also explore the storage areas of the mainly anthropological collections The Smithsonian Institute's main site The Brooklyn Museum - ordered by collections; notice the "download/embed" links at each record Europe The Prado (Spain) on Google Earth - zoom in to incredible detail The Vatican - view collections or works individually, or take an online tour. The Courtauld Institute - now has more than 40,000 high quality images The Tate - now has an online database of 12,000 images The Louvre - highlights of the collection Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - go to English - Collection Reunion des Musées Nationaux - portal to the 33 national museums of France (highlights of exhibitions) The Photo Agency for the National Museums of France - access to a large number of collections; allows you to store a search The National Portrait Gallery - London, England The British Museum - use the Compass feature for high quality images The Hermitage Museum - digital collection with search feature
library and government collectionsBeinicke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - Yale University, terrific high resolution images, lots of metadata Virtual Catalogue for Art History - a European specialized meta catalogue allowing the integrated retrieval of bibliographic records (not images) - access to over 5 million records The National Library of Medicine - a list of exhibitions organized by the NLM - the more recent ones have excellent digital image collections. Images from the History of Medicine (IHM) - over 60,000 digital images. National Archives and Records Adminstration Research Room - includes a finding aid for searching digital images and historical documents online The Prints and Photographs Reading Room - the Library of Congress - access to high resolution images, many in the public domain American Memory - Historical Collections for the National Digital Library, Library of Congress The New York Public Library Picture Collection - historic/archival collections - large images and text records. Bibliotheque Nationale de France - virtual exhibitions, digital library, etc. "Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian: Photographic Images" - Library of Congress and Northwestern University Library Digital Collections The Empire That Was Russia - photos of Russia commissioned by the Tsar Turning the Pages - treasures from the British Library Collect Britain - Varied digital collections from the British Library
other university collections and databases VRC-MDID - the online collection of the UCSB Visual Resources Collection ARTstor - now available to the University of California UCSB Library - Art & Architecture Resources LUCI - the Library of UC Images CATENA - over 1,000 images of historic gardens and landscapes, from the Bard Graduate Center (uses the LUNA Insight web or Java clients) California Museum of Photography at UC Riverside WorldArt Web Kiosk - Western and Non-Western survey images, compiled by San Jose State U. (click on image in results for large version) The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture - University of Wisconsin - Madison SPIRO - the searchable database of the Architecture Visual Resources Library at UC Berkeley (large images available from on-campus computers only) The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920 - from Duke University - over 9,000 images Art Images for College Teaching (AICT) - a "royalty-free image exchange" "A Summons to Comradeship" - a database of WWI and WWII posters at the University of Minnesota
search engines and portalsArtcyclopedia - search a vast number of collections by artist or title keyword Art History Resources on the Web - images and websites compiled by subject or time period Web Gallery of Art - virtual museum of European art ca. 1100 to 1850 Mark Harden's Artchive - links by artist or movement, good high-quality images Mother of All Art History Pages - portal to vast resources
Note: some are only accessible via UCSB computers, while some provide proxy access ARTstor - 550,000 imagees, most with high resolution for zooming, plus an excellent presentation tool (the OIV) - now includes the growing University of California shared image collection via the California Digital Library Oxford Art Online - includes GroveArtOnline -articles, research references, imagesAccunet/AP Photo Archive - for current events photos Archives TimePix - The Time/Life archives - requires registration and has strict use policies, but searches and viewing of both thumbnails and higher res images are free
The David Rumsey Map Collection - choose "View Collection With Browser", and be amazed! Rare Map Collection - The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia Map Collections 1500-2002 - at the Library of Congress Contemporary and Historic maps, Perry-Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin Google Earth - a simple downloadable application which allows you to zoom into just about anywhere on earth
mainly architectureICAM - The International Confederation of Architectural Museums - go to "members" Structurae: International Database and Gallery of Structures - comprehensive site for architecture and engineering The Skyscraper Page - over 4,400 illustrations of tall buildings, as well as comparative data Built in America - Historic American Buildings at the Library of Congresss American Memory Project (1933-present) - large TIFF images available Without Bounds or Limits: An Online Exhibition of The Plan of Chicago by Daniel H. Burnham (at the Art Insitute of Chicago) The Great Buildings Collection - contains photos of buildings, models, documentation, and more Digital Imaging Project - from Bluffton College - large and growing archive of architecture and archaeological sites ArchNet Digital Library - large holdings of Islamic architecture Images of Medieval Art & Architecture - from Alison Stones at the University of Pittsburgh. The Chartres images in particular are very large and high quality. Bildarchiv der Kunst und Architektur (in German) Canadian Centre for Architecture - over 150,000 records of historic architecture-related material (NOTE: text data only, no images yet) SPIRO - the searchable database of the Architecture Visual Resources Library at UC Berkeley (large images available from on-campus computers only) Digital Archive of American Architecture - compiled by Jeffrey Howe at Boston College Arounder - this site does not allow downloading, but offers beautiful 360 degree QTVRs of sites and buildings in many cities
LIFE magazine archive via Google Victorian Magic Lantern - scanned lantern slides, showing scenes of Paris, Egypt, etc. The George Eastman House - International Museum of Film and Photography The American Museum of Photography photo.net - photographic community contributions see also: Wikimedia Commons and flickr
The Tokyo National Museum - the arts of Japan, China, Korea and beyond Asian Art Net - The Online journal for the study and exhibition of the arts of Asia Freer and Sackler Galleries - links to past and present exhibitions and gallery guides Asia Society - a portal to many Asian art resources Artworld - a UK world art teaching site with a digital image archive, timelines, and much more ArtServe - Art & Architecture mainly from the Mediterranean Basin, Japan, India & Cambodia - be sure to scroll down the page china The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology - Exhibition at the National Gallery of Art The National Palace Museum, Taiwan - has extensive digital image archives Chinese ArtNet - links to various exhibitions, and with good archives of Chinese works China the Beautiful - Classical Chinese Art, Calligraphy, Poetry, History, Literature, Painting & Philosophy india and south asia The Digitial South Asia Library - The AIIS (American Institute of Indian Studies) collection based in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, has over 125,000 photographs in the collection. The images fall into the broad categories of architecture, sculpture, terracotta, painting and numismatics. Harappa - The Indus Valley and the Raj in India and Pakistan (historic photos and engravings) TempleNet - "The ultimate source of information on Indian temples " japan Ukiyo-e Prints - from the Sweet Briar Collection Connecticut College - Ukiyo-e prints Ukiyo-e Caricatures - growing database of images from the Institut für Ostasienwissenschaften der Universität Wien Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", at the Brooklyn Museum - a magnifying glass tool allows you to zoom in to great detail online Japanese Art at LACMA - click on "collections online" for image archives The Woodblock Prints of Ando Hiroshige Japanese Art & Culture - another portal to numerous Japanese art images and resources Gods of Japan - A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Deities Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts
National Museum of African Art (Smithsonian) - explore images in context, or try the Advanced Search African Art on the Internet - a portal to dozens of websites and resources Art and Life in Africa Online - a vast resource from University of Iowa Aluka - a digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa Zimbabwe Rock Art - scans on flickr done from 1960s original photography The Egypt Archive - beautifully organized travel images from many sites and museums in Egypt Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives - selections from this African scholar's collection, at the Smithsonian Black is Beautiful - list of useful links from the Research Lab
mesoamerican and south american art resources FAMSI - Foundation for the Advancement of MesoAmerican Studies - pictures, papers, maps, etc. Museo Larco - excellent collection in Lima, Peru, with extension online collection database Mesoweb - selections from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City Boston Museum of Fine Arts - selections from Art of the Ancient Americas LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) - selections from Art of the Ancient Americas Wiki links to Pre-Columbian resources
middle eastern and islamic art and architecture resourcesIslamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY The Freer and Sackler Galleries - links to exhibitions on arts of the Islamic world and the Ancient Near East ArtServe - Art & Architecture mainly from the Mediterranean Basin, Japan, India & Cambodia - be sure to scroll down the page ArchNet Digital Library - large holdings of Islamic architecture IslamiCity - a portal to various Islamic art and architecture resources Islamic Art Network - contains a searchable archive of over 5,000 images of Islamic architecture in Cairo Islamic Architecture - a database of styles and monuments
miscellaneous (in no particular order) caveat: these sites vary widely in quality and content Wikimedia Commons - anyone can add material to this resource, which means finding it could be difficult but the image quality is often terrific flickr - another shared image resource that allows for user tags The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database - images and documents related to slavery The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in America - click on Search the Collections Le Antichità di Ercolano (The Antiquities discovered in Herculaneum) - a full digital reproduction Arts of Armenia - at Cal State Fresno's Armenian Studies department Image Wiki from Wellesley College - another compilation of image sources, including flickr - use the time period navigation menu on the left CGFA - another site with a great selection of images (but a rather annoying website) Olga's Gallery - and yet another French Public Collections - searchable database of art resources from all periods and cultures Newseum - front pages of newspapers for newsworthy days and events The Online Picasso Project - contains over 15,000 catalogued works (excellent search tool and comprehensive contents, but images are only "vignette" size) Matisse: Life and Painting - pretty comprehensive selection of Henri Matisse's work, with good quality images THAIS.IT - Italian Sculpture and much more - try the link to "Specials" (gli speciali) Resource list from UCLA Arts Library - a useful list of links to digital image archives (some overlap with this list, but new things too) Connecticut College Wetmore Print Collection - Durer, Rembrandt, American prints and Japanese woodcuts Images of American Political History - large, high-quality images, in the public domain (search not currently working, but browse feature is) Database of Contemporary Russian Artists - Comprehensive list of biographies and CVs, and links to image samples Photo Marburg - includes Manuscripta Mediaevalia and other resources (use Sitemap to navigate) (in German) Bildarchiv der Kunst und Architektur (in German) Timelines from the Met - useful timelines and summaries of eras, dynasties, etc. Hellenic Culture - a guide to the museums and culture of the Greek world, with links to images of archaeological sites Mosaic Art Source - a site for mosaic enthusiasts, with links to large digital files of several mosaics The Art Renewal Project - a collection of over 12,000 high quality digital images - primarily 19th century, but also 15th-18th centuries (go to Museum - Search for an Artist) the-artists.org - an A-Z list of 20th and 21st century artist, linking to biographies and works 'Photo Archive' - field photographs of archaeological sites, mainly in Italy The Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) - contains, among other resources, the Design Council Slide Collection (Britain) - over 6,000 design records, with enlarged images The Athenaeum - site devoted to "building online tools for the humanities" - a little tricky to navigate, but some great, huge scans ArtNet - has links to artists and galleries - mainly contemporary
other resourcesArt Lex - not an image site, but a good source for the right term or description! Image management programs - a good starting point to find a way to organize all these images you've found Virtual Catalogue for Art History - a European specialized meta catalogue allowing the integrated retrieval of bibliographic records (not images) - access to over 5 million records Arounder - this site does not allow downloading, but offers beautiful 360 degree QTVRs of sites and buildings in many cities
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