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Drama Library

Image Resources



Your research can include: books, journals, any pictorial or graphic source which helps you depict a time period, social class, or an emotion.


Reference Databases

Databases in subject areas other than art may index journals or magazines that feature exhibition reviews. For example, in America: History and Life, there is a subject heading for "Exhibits and Expositions" which means you could search for exhibitions about the Holocaust, for example, or the Wild West and retrieve citations to articles which might include illustrations and graphics.



Reference Databases
Resource Access & Information
ARTstor UW restricted

Searchable database of digital images and associated catalog data, with new image collections added several times a year. ARTstor covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, anthropology, ethnographic and women's studies, as well as many other forms of visual culture. Users can search, view, download and organize images

Oxford Art Online UW restricted

Web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art (Grove's), Oxford Companion to Art, and other art resources.

UW Libraries' Finding and Using Digital Images Some resources are UW restricted

Includes links to resources such as Corbis Images for Education and the AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive.



Books

Use the UW Library Catalog to find books on design.

  • Most books on theatrical lighting and set design are found under PN 2091

    • You can search for "Theaters Stage setting and scenery" as a subject heading
    • You can search for "Stage Lighting" as a subject heading
    • You may also want to search for books on "Architecture" if you are doing set design

  • Most books on costume design can be found under TT507

    • You can search for "Costume Design" as a subject heading
    • You can search for "Tailoring" or "Patternmaking" as a subject heading
    • You may also want to search for "Clothing and Dress" as a subject heading

  • Books on theatre in general are found under PN 1600 - PN3307

To find books with pictures on a subject:

  • Use Subject search with term pictorial works: African American pictorial works (finds books consisting mostly of pictures of African Americans)
    NOTE: When searching for historical information about African Americans, you need use the terms that were in use during the historical period: African Americans, Blacks, Afro Americans, Negroes, Colored.

  • Use keyword search with term ill*: renaissance ill* (finds books about the Renaissance with some illustrations

Other areas that may have books with pictures of interest to designers include:

  • N - art history
  • D - history - general & world
  • E - history - U.S.
  • F - history - local U.S. & the Americas
  • G - anthropology, ethnography
  • T - photography
  • TT - for fashion and textiles
  • H - advertising in business

Videos & DVDs

Search for videos & DVDs just like books.


Catalogues & Magazines

Other places to look besides the ones listed in the tables below:

  • Catalogues from art galleries, museums, & furniture stores
  • Popular magazines like Time, New Yorker, Harper's, etc. for advertising and articles with photographs or illustrations




Catalogues & Magazines
Resource Call Number
House & Garden (1924- 1983) 720.5 HO SuzPer & OUGL
House Beautiful (1909 --) 747.05 HO SuzPer & OUGL
Illustrated London News (1842 --) 051.IL SuzPer
Life (1936-1972) 051 LF SuzPer & OUGL
Look (1927-1971) 051 LOO SuzPer & OUGL
Historical New York Times 1851-2001 UW restricted access
Sears Catalogue 1888- Mic News A2177
Sears Catalogues from 1897, 1900, 1908, & 1910 Drama Reserve
Victorian Shopping Harrod's Catalogue 1895 TS199 .H36 1972 Drama Stacks
Ad*Access Open access from Duke University

Advertisements from 1911-1955





Theatre Journals & Magazines
Resource Call Number
American Theatre PN 2000. A437
Cue International PN2001. C796
Lighting Dimensions PN2091. E4 L5
Plays & Players PN2001. P52
Plays International PN2001. P529
Theater Heute PN2004. T54
Teatr PN2007. T375
Theatre Crafts PN2000. T54
Theatre Design and Technology NA 1. T45
Theatre Forum PN2000 .T55


Web Sites

For costume design, consult the Costume Links page.



Web Sites
Resource Description
1200 Years of Sculpture This resource has hundreds of images of Italian sculpture. Search for images by the artist's name, or choose from a list of cities to search for images based on their geographic location. Includes sculpture from the medieval, romantic, gothic, renaissan ce, baroque and modern periods.
Age of Enlightenment Images from France's "Age of Enlightenment" which lasted from 1715-1799. This site gives some historical background information on the period. Search for images using the alphabetical or chronological list of artists. An additional list is available b ased on the artist's country of origin.
Art Images for College Teaching Art Images for College Teaching (AICT) is a personal, non-profit project of its author, art historian and visual resources curator Allan T. Kohl . 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. The images displayed on this site have been photographed on location by the author, who consents to their use in any application that is both educational and non-commercial in nature.
Art History Resources on the Web Maintained by Chris Witcombe, Professor of Art History Sweet Briar College, this metasite is a directory of art history resources on the web arranged by movements/periods. Some of the entries have brief descriptions. There is also a page called "Research Resources" which lists indexes and databases, periodicals, image finders, general art history resources, etc.
Artcyclopedia Search engine/guide to museum quality art on the internet.
Classical Images on the Web Annotated links to images related to ancient cultures.
Collage Collage, or Corporation of London Library & Art Gallery Electronic, is a collection of over 20,000 works from Guildhall Library and Guildhall Art Gallery London. Search the collection using subject headings such as politics, religion, and history. Most of the images pertain to London Culture from the fifteenth century to the present. This resource allows searchers to view prints, drawings, maps, sculptures and watercolors.
Digital Archive of European Architecture Online archive of images scanned from the collection of Professor Jeffery Howe at Boston College. Arranged by period/types of buildings.
Digital Archive of American Architecture Online archive of images scanned from the collection of Professor Jeffery Howe at Boston College to accompany his course, FA 267 From Saltbox to Skyscraper: Architecture in America. Collection can be accessed by location, architect, building type, and style. Some links to other sites on the WWW.
Great Buildings Online More than 800 great buildings from around the world and across history are listed and illustrated at this web site; with photographic images, architectural drawings, discussion, bibliography, architect info, and live 3D walkthrough computer models. You can search by location, architect, building, or style. Entries also include links to web sites where available, and to books about the architect available at Amazon.com
Mark Harden's Artchive Selection of artists from the history of art since Ancient times to the present. Includes biographical information (sometimes taken directly from cited sources); bibliographies; and links to images found on the web.
Library of Congress Collection Finder Use this tool to access many of the government's photographic collections.
Perseus Art & Archaeology A massive library of art objects, sites, and buildings. The library's catalogs document 523 coins, 1548 vases, over 1400 sculptures, 179 sites and 381 buildings. Each catalog entry has a description of the object and its context; most have images.
Web Gallery of Art The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1150-1800), currently containing over 10,100 reproductions. Commentaries on pictures, biographies of artists are available.

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Last modified: Tuesday July 21, 2009 (weaver)