How do I... find images?
- Starting Research
- Art/Arch
- Photos
- People
- Ads, Cartoons, Maps
Images that can be used in presentations and papers can be hard to find due to copyright laws and because they are not normally indexed like other print material. This How do I guide offers hints and tips to help you find many different kinds of images in print and digitally.
Looking for expert assistance finding and using images? Staff in the Visual Resources Collection in the Department of Art & Art History can assist you with image needs related to coursework in studio art and art history. For students in environmental design or architecture courses, please consult staff in the Visual Resources Collection in the College of Architecture & Planning.
- For a general image search, do a Keyword search in Chinook for your subject and one of the following search terms: exhibitions, illustrated periodicals, illustrated books, photographs, portraits, pictorial works or caricatures and cartoons.
anatomy and pictorial works
women and cartoons
african americans and portraits
- Or, do a keyword search for "___ in art"
France in art
rain in art
- Look at the physical descriptions of books retrieved in a catalog search (description field)
"Ill" stands for illustrations, "col" for colored, meaning two or more colors, "maps," "plans," and "ports" for portraits.
Find images in magazines and newspapers
- Open Proquest Newspapers. CU In the Advanced Search, select "Image Caption" from the drop down menu. Enter your search terms. (Present)
- Open Times Digital Archive. CU Scroll down and limit your search to "Picture Gallery". 1785-1985
- Open Reader's Guide. CUThe "Physical Description" drop box allows you to specify various image descriptions. (1890-present)
- Open C19: The Nineteenth Century Index . CU Select Search Indexes: American Periodicals Series and British Periodicals allow you to search by illustration (1770-1919)
- Open Early English Books Online (EEBO). CUFrom the Advanced search, it is possible to specify illustration type. 1475-1700
Also browse the following magazines:
- Godey's Magazine (1830-1898)
- Harper's Magazine (1913-1976)
- The Saturday Evening Post (1839-present)
- The Ladies' Home Journal (1888-present)
- National Geographic (1980-present)
- Time Magazine (1923-present)
- Newsweek (1933-present)
- Life (1978-present)
- Ebony (1945-present)
- Maclean's ( 1911-present)
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
Why not use only Google or Yahoo to find images?
The image feature of search engines pulls up endless pages of digital pictures. However, they do have some limitations.
- Search engines do not index the collections of digital images mentioned in this guide, eg Colorado Digital Library.
- Search engines may find hundreds of images of popular or specific photos (e.g. The Rocky Mountains) but it's hard to find broad topics (e.g. urban design).
- Academic image collections allow you to refine your search by date, subject and many other options.
- Finding an image on the web does not authorize you to use it legally. Many images are protected by copyright.
For the best results, consult several sources in your search for images.
Search Engines
Don't forget that we have several great library databases that are copy-right free for academic use. Eg Artstor
Google Image Search
Use the Advanced Image Search to specify image sizes (small, medium, or large). Google Image retrieves images based on text in the caption, on the page near the image, and other factors. Images retrieved may be copyright protected.
Yahoo Image Search
Use Advanced Search to find specific image sizes. Images retrieved may be copyright protected.
Finding "free" image collections
Search the internet using the following terms:
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[with] |
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Some image collections:
- Flickr - The Commons: A collection of the world's public photos.
- LIFE Photo Archive (hosted by Google): Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, from the 1750s to today.
- Stock.xchng: photo sharing site with 1000s of images. Usage restrictions are given for each photo.
- PDImages: public domain images. Thumbnail images available free with attribution.
- Pics4Learning: "copyright friendly images for use by students and teachers in an educational setting."
- Barry's Clipart Gallery: Be sure to use the search box in the top banner of the screen. Other search boxes are parts of advertisements
- Absolutely Free Clipart: Beware of ads. Use the Categories on the left side of the screen to get to the free stuff.
- American Memory Collections: Searchable database of Library of Congress digital collection of photos and prints. See comments on Rights & Reproductions for terms of use.
- Joconde: This database is the collective catalog of all French museums, and, as such, contains archeological, fine art, ethnological, historical, scientific and technological images. The webpage is only in French.
- Smithsonian: More than 10,000 images from the Libraries’ collections
- For more, see Where to Find Free Images and Visuals for My Blog, an online article/blog that suggests a wealth of resources!
Also, try this Tutorial from Intute for more help.
Most Internet images, even those that are "free," are copyrighted (even if they don't say it). "Free" usually refers to "royalty-free," meaning that the copyright holder grants permission to use the images, under certain conditions, free of charge. Most sites will provide information on terms or conditions of use. It is recommended that you read them prior to using an image. Common conditions often include phrases such as:
- image is not to be used for commercial purposes. Personal and/or educational use is usually permitted.
- image is not to be redistributed, sold, added to an image collection or published in tangible medium.
- image must not constitute a substantial portion of the content in which it is used.
- many copyright holders will request (though not necessarily require) credit and/or a link back to their site.
Copyright law regarding fair use of digital images is vague. Use of images may fall under the protection of Fair Use.
- If you are using an image for an on-campus, in-class presentation, it may fall within fair use.
- If you are using an image in an online class, in a secure area, such as D2L, for only one semester, it may fall within fair use.
- If you are using an image on an unsecure web page or in a PowerPoint posted to the web, it probably doesn't fall within fair use.
See Fair Use description (Purdue U.)
When in doubt, err on the side of caution. Do not use the image, or seek permission from the copyright holder.
(Jill Markgraf, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. http://www.uwec.edu/markgrjs/findimages.htm)
Citing images:
Content-bearing, non-trivial images should be cited. Different citation styles have different rules for citing images.
Example for citing an image in a caption:
Description or title of image. [Online Image] Available http://address/filename, date of document or download.
More on citing images:
Created AH 11/08
Revised AH 11/10
Revised MK 02/11
Library and freely available resources which will help find art and architecture images:
ARTstor CU
Searchable database of nearly a million digital images and associated catalog data. ARTstor covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well as many other forms of visual culture. Users can search, view, and download images.
Online reference resource for all aspects of the visual arts worldwide from prehistory to the present day.
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
ART
Art Images for College Teaching
Emphasizing ancient, medieval, and Renaissance European art and architecture. AICT is intended primarily to disseminate images of art and architectural works in the public domain on a free-access, free-use basis to all levels of the educational community, as well as to the public at large.
Bridgeman Art Library
Find art images from museums, collections and artists from around the world.
Google Image Search is the fastest way to locate an image. Put the artist or work of art/architecture in "quotes" for best results.
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 14,500 reproductions. Commentaries on pictures, biographies of artists are available.
WebMuseum is an online collection of images ranging from European Gothic to Twentieth Century to Japanese art and architecture. The site was created to showcase art and architecture and to provide an online resource to items available in art museums around the world. Anyone is able to contribute to the collection of online images therefore it is necessary to be careful about the nature of the information provided.
ARCHITECTURE
40 Centuries of Architecture
Egyptian, Greek, Islamic, Romanesque, Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, and Armenian architecture. THAIS, Milan.
American Memory Project – Architecture, Landscape collections
From the Library of Congress.
- HABS/HAER – 1933-present
- Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955
- American Landscape and Architectural Design, 1850-1920: a Study Collection from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
- The Nineteenth Century in Print: Periodicals, 1815-1900
- Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991
- Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920
- Washington as It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959
ArchNet
Islamic architecture image library of historic and contemporary buildings and sites and general views. MIT School of Architecture and Planning and University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, in cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Catena Digital Archive of Historic Gardens & Landscapes
This collection from the Bard Graduate Center is currently focused on a number of Italian villas. Note: to view images in Insight you must have pop-up windows enabled on your browser. To download images for educational purposes you must first register with Catena.
Cities and Buildings Database
The University of Washington's collection of nearly 10,000 ancient to contemporary images is for use by students, faculty, and the academic community.
Electronic Library of Colorado Architecture, Landscape, and Planning
The Colorado Architecture Collection includes several thousand images of over 300 Colorado sites and structures, including those which are significant because they have received awards from professional design and planning associations or because they appear on state and national registers of historic places.
The web site features the University's unique collections, including Aerial Photographs of Colorado, and the Architecture and Planning, Art and Art History , and Auraria Visual Resources Collections, as well as Building Colorado Story by Story: the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection, Colorado Architecture, and shared collections from other universities across the nation that use the same software platform.
A Digital Archive of American Architecture
Boston College Professor Jeffrey Howe's personal collection of images. Selective.
Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture
Images of furniture and decorative arts objects and digital facsimiles of texts published on architecture, landscape architecture, and the decorative arts. Volumes in the digital text collection include works by Robert Adam, Asher Benjamin, Owen Jones, John Buonarotti Papworth, Humphry Repton, Samuel Sloan, and Gustave Stickley. From the University of Wisconsin Madison and the Chipstone Foundation.
The Great Buildings Collection
1000 buildings documented with images, text, and references.
Landscape Architecture Image Resource (LAIR)
Shared image bank of images from a variety of sources. From the USDA and 6 universities.
Pidgeon Audiovisual Digital Architectural Library
Collection of images and illustrated talks by architects on their work. The collection was started in 1979 and previously available as slide sets with accompanying audio tapes. Digitization is ongoing.
Society of Architectural Historians Image Exchange
Images contributed by SAH members. Collection divided into categories designed to accompany American or World Survey courses in architectural history.
Many books and articles also contain images.
Images from Articles
Search a subject or general or interdisciplinary database for images. Many databases indicate whether or not the article contains images. You can also limit to articles with images.
Try:
- Art Full Text CU – Art images
- Avery Index to Architecture Periodicals CU – Architecture images
Indexes
Search the following indexes, which are all held in ARTARC REF.
- Check the Title Index for what you need (the title often indicates the subject).
- This will give you a code or an abbreviation (If it gives you the artist's name, look in the Author Index to get the code.) The code stands for a particular book which has a reproduction of the image you need.
- Check the code list in the front of the first volume to get the title of the book.
- Search for the title in Chinook or request it through InterLibrary Loan.
Try:
- World Painting Index ND45 .H38
- Sculpture Index NB36 .C55
- Index to Two-Dimensional Works N7525 .K67
- Index to Art Reproductions in Books N7525 .H48
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
Library and freely available resources which will help find photos.
ARTstor CU
Searchable database of more than 300,000 digital images and associated catalog data. ARTstor covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well as many other forms of visual culture. Users can search, view, and download images.
Online reference resource for all aspects of the visual arts worldwide from prehistory to the present day.
AP Images / AccuNet Associated Press Photo Archive CU
2 million news photographs from 1826 to the present. Most are from the last ten years. 3000 photographs are added to the collection daily.
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
American Memory
This Library of Congress site provides still and moving images documenting American history and the American experience.
Featured collections are freely available on the Internet and include the Emergence of Advertising in America, Ration Coupons on the Home Front (1942-1945), and the 50,000 item William Gedney Photographs and Writings collection.
Early examples of photographs from the Netherlands, France, England, Germany and the United States by both Dutch and foreign photographers. Every technique is represented, from daguerreotypes to salted paper prints, glass negatives, paper negatives and photolithographs.
Harvard University Library: A Selection of Web-Accessible Collections
A list of visual resource collections that are unique to Harvard University, but reside in different repositories on the Harvard campus. Collections include the Harvard Daguerreotype Collection, the Hedda Morrison Photographs of China, Immigration to the United States (1789-1930), Legal Portraits Online, and the Latin American Pamphlet Digital Collection.
Historical Photograph Collections at the Arizona State Archives
33,000 digital images of primary materials from the historical photograph collections. Most of the photographs available through the public online database date to before 1940 and include examples of all types of photographic processes, including tintypes, glass lantern slides, and photographic postcards.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Through this database, it is also possible to carry out federated searching across the hundreds of digital collections that received support from IMLS. Adding "image" to the keyword search will retrieve digital images and their corresponding metadata. Browse Object to discover Photograph/Slide/Negative collections.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
Get access to more than 1 million digital images via one of the largest digital image databases in the world. Search for images by keyword, by browsing lists of alphabetized subjects, or by choosing a collection and looking through individual image records.
More than 60,000 images featuring the work of many notable photographers active in the Los Angeles area over many decades, including some contemporary photographers. Search by keyword or photographer.
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
One of the largest open-access image databases available on the Internet featuring more than 600,000 digital images, including all kinds of primary materials, such as manuscripts, maps, photographs, prints, restaurant menus, sheet music covers, and much more.
The Picture Collection
The New York Public Library's collection of 30,000 images from pre-1923 books, magazines, newspapers, photographs, prints, and postcards.
A research resource for the history of photography. Features online exhibitions, a chronology of the evolution of photography complete with visuals and historical information, as well as an image database.
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections
Many academic institutions have created digital libraries consisting of images that are free to use and accessible to anyone. The collection from the University of Washington offers several unique collections of images. Many are focused on the state of Washington but some offer unique glimpses in American history through photography collections such as the 19th century Actors Photographs.
A visual resource for Wisconsin history containing 35,000 photographs. Of special interest is the Wisconsin Historical Museum's Children's Clothing Collection where visitors may browse images of more than 2,000 articles of children's clothing dating back to the 18th century.
Yale University Library Digital Collections
More than 100,000 digital images are searchable and viewable by the public.
Special Collections has an important Photograph Collection. This includes photos, photobooks, photo serials etc.
Images in Books
To find books by a photographer do an AUTHOR search in Chinook.
To find books about a photographer or a photographer's work, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook for the photographer's name.
Or, do a Subject search in Chinook for Photograph or Photography to see the full extent of the Library holdings
Indexes
To find an index do a Subject search for Photographs - Catalogs
Library and freely available resources which will help find images of people.
This scholarly multi-disciplinary database contains indexing for over 8,000 publications, with full text for more than 4,450 of those titles.
This multidisciplinary database provides full text for more than 1,750 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography CU
An illustrated collection of 56,000 biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the earliest times to the year 2003
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
American Memory
This Library of Congress site provides still and moving images documenting American history and the American experience.
University of Washington Digital Collections
Access to tens of thousands of digital images covering a wide variety of subjects, but with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest. The digital collections include image-heavy resources, such as the J. Willis Sayre Photographs of actors, vaudeville performers, and movie stills; the Washington Women's History Consortium Fashion Plate Collection; the Dearborn-Massar Photographs of Architecture; and the Seattle Photographs Collection.
This search engine displays primarily faces and torso shots of people.
Images in Books
To find biographies of a person, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook for the name E.g. ("John Muir" OR "Muir, John"). Also include the keyword "biograph*" to find biography, biographies, biographical, etc.
Indexes
Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia
Located in Norlin Reference Stacks, call number CT103 .C26 1994
Current Biography / Current Biography Yearbook (Annual, 1940 - present)
Located in Norlin Reference Stacks, call number CT100 .C8
Dictionary of American Biography
Located in Norlin Reference Stacks, call number E176 .D563
Library and freely available resources which will help find images of ads, cartoons and maps.
Databases
AP Images CU
Provides a sensory journey of photographs, audio sound bites, graphics and text spanning over 160 years of history.
Database containing comprehensive indexing and abstracting of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and Canada, plus the full text of selected periodicals. Readers' Retrospective gives a detailed account of U.S. culture and history.
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
Online Collections
Access to 7,000 images from 1911 to 1955 in five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II.
Emergence of Advertising Art in America: 1850-1920
Find images related to the early history of advertising in the United States.
Internet Archive: Prelinger Archives includes ads
This is a collection of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films.
Luerzer's International Archive
Mixed Messages: Tracking Political Advertising (washingtonpost.com)
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Super Ad Bowl: Two Decades of Players (The New York Times)
Webby Awards: nominees and winners (websites, interactive advertising, online film & video, mobile)
Print Resources
Find adverts in magazines and newspapers
- Open Proquest Newspapers. CU In the Advanced Search, select "Image Caption" from the drop down menu. Enter your search terms. (Present)
- Open Times Digital Archive. CU Scroll down and limit your search to "Picture Gallery". 1785-1985
- Open Reader's Guide. CU The "Physical Description" drop box allows you to specify various image descriptions. (1890-present)
- Open C19: The Nineteenth Century Index . CU Select Search Indexes: American Periodicals Series and British Periodicals allow you to search by illustration (1770-1919)
Also browse the following magazines:
- Godey's Magazine (1830-1898)
- Harper's Magazine (1913-1976)
- The Saturday Evening Post (1839-present)
- The Ladies' Home Journal (1888-present)
- National Geographic (1980-present)
- Time Magazine (1923-present)
- Newsweek (1933-present)
- Life (1978-present)
- Ebony (1945-present)
- Maclean's (1911-present)
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
Databases
Select the Images tab on the top right menu bar to search for photos and images in a wide range of electronic journals. This scholarly multi-disciplinary database contains indexing for over 8,000 publications, with full text for more than 4,450 of those titles. CU
AP Images CU
Provides a sensory journey of photographs, audio sound bites, graphics and text spanning over 160 years of history. Student comprehension and recall skills will improve with visually stimulating imagery meant for use in research papers, theses, reports and PowerPoint presentations. Access is for one concurrent user.
Search for art reproductions by limiting the document type. Subjects include: Advertising Art, Antiques, Archaeology, Architecture and Architectural History, Art History, Computers inArt, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Fashion Design, Folk Art, Graphic Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures, Museology, Non-Western Art, Painting, Photography, Pottery, Sculpture, Television, Textiles, Video.
JSTOR CU
Use the advanced search option and limit search to caption titles. Provides image and full-text online access to back issues of selected scholarly journals in history, economics, political science, demography, mathematics and other fields of the humanities and social sciences.
New York Public Library digital gallery
Provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts , historical maps , vintage posters , rare prints and photographs , illustrated books , printed ephemera , and more.
Limit format to 'Editorial Cartoon.' Index w/ full-text of articles in Wall Street Journal and 500+ other major U.S. and international newspapers, news wires and other news sources.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers CU
Choose 'News- The Historical [Newspaper Name]' from the database drop down menu. Under 'More Search Options' limit format to 'Editorial Cartoon'. Provides online access to newspapers, including New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Most access if pre-1970s.
Example: The Historical New York Times CU
To find more news sources go to Finding News Articles
CU = Resources marked with this symbol are available in campus libraries and to students, staff, and faculty via the campus network. Use of these resources is subject to copyright laws and license limitations. Off-campus access information.
Online Collections
Digital Collections and Exhibits
AAEC Editorial Cartoon Digital Collection
Cartoon America: A Library of Congress Exhibit
Library of Congress Herblock's History
Library of Congress American Memory
Library of Congress American Political Prints 1776-1876
Library of Congress Learning Page- Political Cartoons
Running for Office: Campaigns, and the Cartoons of Clifford Berryman
Websites & Online Publications
CartoonHub: A National hub for British Cartoons and Caricature
Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index
Editorial Cartoons from Comics.com
Libraries & Special Collections
Caroline and Erwin Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon
Organizations
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
Editorial Cartoon Print Materials
The Greenwood guide to American popular culture / edited by M. Thomas Inge and Dennis Hall [vol. 2 is dedicated to editorial cartoons]
Location: Reference Department
Call #: E169.1 G7555 2002
Editorial cartooning and caricature : a reference guide / Paul P. Somers, Jr
Location: Norlin Stacks
Call #: Z5956.C3 S66 1998
Drawn to extremes : the use and abuse of editorial cartoons / Chris Lamb
Location: Norlin Stacks
Call #: E183 .L36 2004
Cartoons and lampoons : the art of political satire / Samuel A. Tower
Location: Norlin Stacks
Call#: E183. T73 1982
The political cartoon / Charles Press
Location: ARTARC
Call #: NC 1763.P66 P73
Location: ARTARC
Call #: NC1426. G73 1998
LC Subject Headings
Here are a few potential subject headings used in Chinook:
Editorial cartoons -- United States
Political cartoons
See the Map Library's How do I find Maps for more help.
We estimate that more than half of the maps in our collection are cataloged in Chinook (CU Boulder's online catalog). All of the atlases, reference books, and CDs in the Map Library can be found through Chinook.
Keyword searches are usually the best way to begin a search for maps. If you are looking for a map of a specific place (such as Boulder ), start out with a keyword search including the place name plus “and maps” (ex: Boulder and maps). Using the “and” is important; otherwise, the catalog will default to a phrase search.
If you are looking for a specific type of map (such as a geologic map), you can include that information in your keyword search. For example “ Boulder and geology and maps.” (For more advanced search tips, for instance, truncation, scroll to the bottom of the keyword search page: http://libraries.colorado.edu/search/X .)
Be wary of using the “limit” feature. The limit to "Location: Map Library” excludes many atlases and electronic maps that are located in places other than the Map Library (such as Reference and Art/Architecture). It is sometimes helpful to limit your search to "material type: maps/globes," but this may also exclude useful material (such as electronic resources and books accompanied by maps).
Always remember that when you search for a map in Chinook, you are not seeing our full collection; you are only seeing what has been cataloged so far. Come to the Map Library and we can help you search for what you need.
Searching for Uncataloged Maps
Uncataloged maps are arranged in order by geographic area in drawers that can be browsed. We have a number of indexes and databases in paper and online that we can use to help you find the map you need. Please ask us for help.
Online Maps
Check the online map links at the Map Library
