Initial findings
After we discuss each database or website, use this linked spreadsheet to indicate one suitable image you find from each of them.
Start Here
- JSTOR ImagesSearch over 3.7 million images from museums, archives, and other similar, identified collections of photos and artwork. Use filters to specify date ranges, source type ("classification"), country, and collection.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaOver 13 million digitized images, documents, recordings and more from libraries, museums, and archives. Among its various specific pages that may be useful is this list of primary source sets.
Digital sources for African-American life and culture
- The Teenie Harris Photograph CollectionVisual images from the 1920s-1970s taken by Pittsburgh photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris document life in the black communities of Pittsburgh, including weddings, funerals, family portraits, church events, street scenes, businessmen, and mill workers. Held by the Carnegie Museum of Art.
- Ebony Magazine archives at Google BooksEbony has been a major monthly magazine focused on and directed toward African-Americans since 1945. Google Books has the digitized archives of every issue since 1959.
- Jet Magazine archives at Google BooksJet magazine was a weekly magazine marketed toward African-Americans, published from 1951 to 2014. Google Books has the digitized archives of all issues since 1951.
General web collections
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online CatalogAbout 1.2 million searchable images from the Library of Congress's pictorial holdings.
- Harper's Bazaar 1867-1900Archive available through Cornell.
- VADS, the Visual Arts Data ServiceBased at the Farnham Campus of the University College for the Creative Arts in Great Britain, this site offers over freely available 100,000 images in many specific organized and searchable collections.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art CollectionsOver 260,000 images of art works, including costumes and clothing from a wide range of eras. Lots of convenient ways to narrow and focus search. Over 16,000 images of costume items since 1900, nearly 8,000 from between 1800 and 1900, about 2500 from the years between 1600 & 1800, and hundreds more from earlier centuries.
Possible search terms
woman OR women OR man OR men OR ladies OR lady OR girl
interior OR inside OR room OR furniture OR couch OR chair OR lounge OR sitting OR table OR parlor
dress OR skirt OR wearing OR clothing OR clothes OR fashion OR suit
"New York City" OR Brooklyn
Improve your Google searches
Important Limiters for searching Google Images
You can limit your results in Google to pages from specific sites or kinds of sites by including along with your search terms text such as site:wtamu.edu or, for all colleges and universities but only colleges and universities, site:.edu.
This way, even when searching Google Images, you're more likely to get archival content from university collections.
Other library databases
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Major Dailies. This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Includes searchable full text of the following newspapers:
The New York Times—1851-2013
Wall Street Journal—1889-2000
Washington Post—1877-2000
Los Angeles Times—1881-1993
The Chicago Tribune—1849-1993
• For photos, scroll within “Document Type” and choose "Photo standalone."
Get Help from the Library
Research & Access Help
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