On this Page:
1. Image Collections
No list of image collections can hope to be comprehensive. Below are some big collections we think you'll find especially useful, but consider trying some of the important catalogs to digital resources on the Web:
The Library has produced several collections of digital images--these collections include historical maps, German emblem books, French World War I posters, and Irish cartoons. These collections are available at http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/
- CARLI Digital CollectionsMultiple image collections of paintings, drawings, sculptures, buildings, and photographs.
- Architecture & Art Library's Guide to Image ResourcesLists dozens of image collections, focused primarily on fine art and architecture. Among the resources listed is the image library of the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has a particulary fine collection of material culture, including jewlry, furniture, table-ware, ephemera, games, textiles, metalwork, and so forth.
- Portraits of the Presidents from the National Portrait GalleryAn online exhibit of presidential portraits, from George Washington to Bill Clinton. Includes short essay for each portrait, and artist information. Also includes a short section on Presidential medals.
- Portraits of the Presidents from the Catalog of American PortraitsIdentifies portraits in public and private collections. Browse by subject (e.g. Harding). Some records include thumbnails.
- Political badges from the Imperial Age and the Weimar RepublicA collection of 786 political badges, the majority of them German, from the extensive collection of some 8,000 badges in the German History Museum, from the turn of the century through the Weimar Republic.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsDigitized texts, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, archival sources, and sheet music that document the history of the United States, including African American history, religion, immigration, and urban history.
- Empire Online This link opens in a new window15th century to the present. Emphasis on the British Empire. Collection tilts heavily toward the 18th century, 19th century, and early 20th centuries.
- New York Public Library Digital GalleryDigital collection of over 600,000 images from the collections of the New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, prints, photographs and more.
- Artstor This link opens in a new windowDigital library of images from a wide range of cultures and time periods. You can narrow search by time period (e.g. 1750-1900), place (e.g. France), and keywords (e.g. man, men, homme). It includes images from the Musuem of Modern Art, the Native American Art and Culture Collection at the Smithsonian, the Schlesinger History of Women in America Collection, and the Huntington Archive of Asian Art.
Sort Link Group
2. Unpublished Primary Sources
The Library also has some unpublished primary source material (archives and manuscripts), but this is a relatively small body of material compared to the abundance of published primary sources held by the Library. Most of the unpublished primary source material will be found in the University Archives, located in the basementof the Main Library, or the Student Life and Culture Archive, located east of the President's house on Flordia Ave. in Urbana (1707 S. Orchard St.). More information is avialble about the holdings of the University Archives and the Student Life and Culture Archive at their website: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/archives/ , and the archisists can help you identify material on your topic.
There is another type of archival material in the Library that you might want to explore: if you are interested in advertising images, the Library holds 3 major collections of print advertising. The Communications Library curates the D'Arcy and Woodward Collections. The D'Arcy Collection contains 2 million ads published between 1890 and 1970, and the Woodward Collection contains 4 million ads from the late 19th century through the 1980s. In addition, the University Archives houses the Advertising Council Archives. The Advertising Council was established in 1942 to support the war effort through public service advertising and continues to operate today.
