Finding Images
- New York Public Library Digital GalleryProvides access to over 275000 images digitized from the library collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, etc.
- Library of Congress American MemoryOnline access to print, pictorial and audio-visual collections and other digital services
- The Museum of the City of New YorkThe Museum of the City of New York is pleased to announce that over 15,000 images of theatrical production are now freely accessible online through the Museum’s Collections Portal
- GloPADGloPAD is a multimedia, multilingual, Web-accessible database containing digital images, texts, video clips, sound recordings, and complex media objects (such as 3-D images) related to the performing arts from around the world.
Fair Use of Images
Videos Online
Photograph of Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov in Yalta commons.wikimedia.org/
- Hemispheric Institute Digital Video Librarypreserves and makes accessible approximately 100 hours of video per year documenting the expression of social and political life through performance in the many cultures and political landscapes of the Americas.
- Vanderbilt Television News ArchiveSearchable collection of 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts from the major U.S. national broadcast. Broadcasts from CNN and NBC can be streamed.
- America at Work, School, and Leisure, 1894-1915Work, school, and leisure activities in the United States from 1894 to 1915 are featured in this presentation of 150 motion pictures
Selected Digital Image Sites
Researchers and designers often require a broad range of historical visual images. Below are some resources that serve as good starting places, though many of them are more focused on fine arts (rather than film stills and documentation).
- Google ImagesSearches images available via Google, of mixed size and quality.
- Reel Poster GalleryOnline gallery of vintage movie posters.
- World Digital LibraryIncludes primary materials from world cultures, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and more.
- Oxford Art OnlineLinks images to related entries, covering major artists, periods, and styles.
- LIFE Photo ArchiveGrowing historical photo archive for LIFE magazine, hosted by Google.
- Getty ImagesIncludes stock photography, editorial photos, and some moving images.
- NYPL Digital GalleryThousands of digital images from the New York Public Library's collections.
- VADSThousands of visual arts images, including fashion, design, prints, and sculpture.
- Flickr CommonsA free public collection of photographs from major photography archives. Contributors include the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and more.
- American MemoryFrom the Library of Congress, including many photographs and other visual elements documenting American history.
- Ad*AccessImages and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
- Empire OnlineIncludes documents segment called "The Visible Empire," which includes color plates, maps, and more.
- Images from the History of MedicineKeyword-searchable images from the National Library of Medicine. Includes portraits, pictures of institutions, caricatures, genre scenes, and graphic art in a variety of media.
- CalPhotosFrom UCB Biodiversity Sciences Technology Group, this site contains thousands of photos, including plants, animals, fossils, people, and world cultures.