Research Guides: History Resources: Images

Broad scope image resources

Ad Access This link opens in a new window
Image database of advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II.
Coverage: 1911-1955.
American Memory This link opens in a new window
Written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
AP Images This link opens in a new window
Associated Press photographs, audio, graphics, news stories, and headlines.
Artstor This link opens in a new window
Digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences with an accessible suite of software tools for teaching and research. Collections from museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists' estates. Access Note: To download images or use other advanced features, individuals must register for an individual user account.
NYPL Digital Gallery This link opens in a new window
Digital images of drawings, illuminated manuscripts, maps, photographs, posters, prints, rare illustrated books, etc. representing the applied sciences, fine and decorative arts, history, performing arts, and social sciences.

Flickr.com
Photo-sharing site is a helpful tool for scholars and students. Free and no membership to use. Most images Creative Commons, large-format, and easy to download. Database is world-wide in scope.
Insight Digital Collections
Contains high-quality images of maps, fine art, architecture, photography, and others. Some (not all) available to public.
LIFE Magazine Photo Archive
Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1860s to today. Add "source:life" to any Google image search and search only the LIFE photo archive.

Images in journal databases

Academic Onefile This link opens in a new window
From the Advanced Search screen, under by document type, choose 'Image." Results are from UPI Photo Collection.
Coverage: 1980-present (New York Times back to 1995).
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
From the Advanced Search screen, change the search field to "caption."
ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Use Advanced search. Under "Search options" change the "Document type to "Image/Photograph."

Visual Resources Center

The Vanderbilt University Visual Resources Center resides in 134 Cohen Hall and is your source for finding and properly using high-quality images resources for your papers, presentations, and projects.