History & Historiography: Images for History
An introduction to researching history and historiography at PSU.
World History
The resources listed below are related to general world history or for specified areas outside the U.S.
- Before Byzantium: The Early Activities of Thomas Whittemore (1871-1931)Photographs from the Dumbarton Oaks ICFA Collections that were taken in Egypt and Greece between 1910 and 1930.
- British LibraryOnline gallery of virtual books and online exhibitions with objects from the British Library Collections.
- Chartres: Cathedral of Notre DameA collection of over 3,000 images of Chartres Cathedral, including stained glass, sculpture, structure, and views.
- CLAROSCLAROS provides simultaneous searching of major university and museum collections for images of ancient Greek and Roman art.
- Corsair Images from Medieval and Renaissance ManuscriptsCorsair is the online research resource of the Pierpont Morgan Library providing access to over 250,000 records for medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, rare and reference books, literary and historical manuscripts, music scores, ancient seals and tablets, drawings, prints, and other art objects.
- EuropeanaEuropeana is a single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe.
- Gallica Bibliothèque Nationale de FranceDocuments and images from the Bibliothèque Nationale.
- Images of EnglandOver 300,000 images of England's built heritage, including buildings, bridges, churches, gravestones, lampposts, etc.
- Imago Urbis: Giuseppe Vasi's Grand Tour of RomeAn interactive database combining Vasi's views of Rome and Nolli's map of Rome to give a comprehensive and phenomenal view of 18th century Rome.
- Machiel Kiel Photographic Archive of Ottoman Architecture of the BalkansApproximately 1300 images of Ottoman-Islamic architectural monuments in Southeast-Europe. Additional images will be added. Sponsored by the Netherlands Institute in Turkey (NIT).
- MetisQuicktime Video of many ancient Greek sites.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art Timeline of Art HistoryImages of art and design throughout history, presented in timeline format.
- PastscapeAccess to records and images of English archaeological, architectural, and martime heritage.
- Photographic Archives of the Oriental Institute, University of ChicagoPhotographs from UC expeditions to Egypt, the Sudan, ancient Iran, and Iraq.
- Russian Posters Collection (Duke Univ.)Russian political posters from 1920's forward.
- University of Chicago Library -- Middle East Photograph ArchiveImages of the Middle East from photographs and postcards of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly of Cairo.
- World ImagesA database of over 50,000 images including many areas of imagery (art, architecture, science, etc.).
American History
- America's Historical Documents from the National ArchivesImages of the most important documents of American history.
- American Memory ProjectHistorical Collections for the Library of Congress Digital Library. American Memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from over 100 collections.
- Broadsides and EphemeraThousands of broadsides, pamphlets, posters, tickets and other printed items from across America. Part of Duke Digital Collections.
- Charles W. Cushman Photograph CollectionThe collection of Charles W. Cushman's nearly 15,000 kodachrome slides is a photographic document of American social history in the twentieth century.
- David Rumsey Historical Maps CollectionOver 13,600 images of high resolution images with an emphasis on the American continents during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black and White NegativesOver 175,000 photographs documenting life in America between 1935 and 1944. Government agencies involved include the Resettlement Administration (1935-1937), the Farm Security Administration (1937-1942), and the Office of War Information (1942-1944). The negatives are now part of the Library of Congress Collections.
- George Catlin : Printed Works (Native Americans of North America)About 600 portraits chronicling the people, customs and traditions of Native American tribes from 1830-1838. Search database for: George Catlin
- George Eastman House Photography Collections OnlineDigital images from the George Eastman collection spanning the decades from 1839 to today.
- Herblock's History : Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium20th century history through the cartoons of Herb Block.
- Labadie Photograph CollectionPhotograph holdings of the Labadie Collection on social protest and radical politics, housed in the Univ. of Michigan Special Collections Library.
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs CollectionsAccess to most of the images and catalog records of the LOC Prints & Photographs Unit.
- Life Magazine Photo ArchiveExtensive collection from the photojournalist magazine chronicling American life and events over the last century and a half.
- Lincoln Highway Digital Image CollectionOver 3,000 images from the Lincoln Highway Association (1910-1927).
- National Park Service Historic Photograph CollectionSeveral thousand images from the collections of the NPS, including park architecture, Native American heritage, roads and transportation, CCC, etc.
- New York Times ImagesNews photos and graphics from the New York Times and partner publications.
- NYC Municipal Archives GalleryOver 870,000 images, video and audio files from the New York City Municipal Archives featuring the history of the city. Search by collection or by keyword.
- Online Exhibits from the National ArchivesLinks to a range of exhibits relating to moments in US history, such as elections, work, etc.
- PhotogrammarA web-based platform for searching, organizing, and visualizing over 170,000 photographs dating from 1935-1945 created by the US Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information.
- Photographic Portraits of American ArtistsTwo collections from the Smithsonian American Art Museum comprising over 5,500 images featuring the Ashcan School Artists and American artists of the early 20th century.
- Political Posters in the Labadie CollectionOver 2,100 posters covering social protest movements such as Anarchism, Civil Liberties, Colonialism, Communism, Ecology, Labor, Sexual Freedom, Socialism, Women, etc. collected over the past 100 years.
- Presidential LibrariesDirectory of and information about the U.S. Presidential Libraries (supplied by the National Archives and Records Administration).
- Reuther Library (Wayne State) Image GalleriesSeveral thousand images from collections of the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs and the relating the history of Detroit; including urban development, politics, civil rights, ethnic communities, etc.
- Ross Archive of African ImagesA searchable database of ove 5,000 images of African art published before 1921. The images are extensively catalogued.
- Smithsonian Institution : Collections Search CenterSearch over six million records with 536,000 images, video and sound files and other resources from the Smithsonian's museums, archives, and libraries.
- The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual RecordApproximately 1200 images culled from many sources, most of them dating from the period of slavery.
- The Valley of the ShadowFeatures images of maps, letters, diaries, newspapers, portraits, etc. from the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
- US Geologic Survey Multimedia GalleryView and download images, video, and audio from the entire USGS image collection.