Academy of American Poets
This site provides users the full text of poems, information on
current and historic poets, and readings of poems by the poets themselves
or by well-known actors or readers. The Literary Links section provides
links to poems, criticism, reviews, and other information about poets and
poetry.
Ad*Access
Database
"a selection of historical advertisements available for study and
research... a large collection of magazine and newspaper ads within the
Duke library's J. Walter Thompson Company Archives. The project includes
over 7,000 ads, mainly from U.S. publications dating between 1911 and 1955,
regarding: Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World
War II."
Agayuliyararput
(Our Way of Making Prayer): The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks
This is a virtual tour of a Smithsonian Institution exhibition,
Agayuliyararput (Our Way of Making Prayer): The Living Tradition of Yup'ik
Masks. It features 166 Yup'ik Eskimo masks, including 23 masks and other
objects from NMAI's collection.
America from
the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA and OWI,
ca. 1935-1945
The images in the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information
Collection are among the most famous documentary photographs ever produced.
Created by a group of U.S. government photographers, the images show Americans
in every part of the nation. In the early years, the project emphasized
rural life and the negative impact of the Great Depression, farm mechanization,
and the Dust Bowl.
America
Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets
For most of the nineteenth century Americans learned the latest
songs from printed song sheets. Not to be confused with sheet music, song
sheets are single printed sheets, usually six by eight inches, with lyrics
but no music.
America's Library at
the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress presents "America's Library".... documents,
prints, photographs, maps, recordings and other materials from the past.
Some of these materials reflect viewpoints or information that may seem
insensitive today. Their content is not meant to offend; it does, however
reflect history."
American
Indian Observed: Sketches and Documents from the Collections of the Archives
of American Art
Found among the Archives' collections are many containing artists'
depictions of the American Indian. While the work of artists like George
Catlin, W. Langdon Kihn, and Dorothy Newkirk Stewart all look different,
they, and the work of other artists represented in this display, are united
in one respect: their subject matter came from life.
The
American Indian Occupation of Alcatraz Island 1969 - 1971
A photo essay on the occupation of Alcatraz Island of San Francisco
Bay, by Professor Troy Johnson, California State University, Long Beach.
Includes many B&W photos from the occupation, as well as an introductory
essay. Photos are displayed in three pages.
American Memory
Collections
This is a set of different digital collections of information based
on a wide range of topics and themes in American history. You may search
all collections from a single searcher, or you may browse and search the
individual collections. Includes a huge number of books, documents, photographs,
images, music, sounds, and films. Well worth getting to know, especially
the Learning section, which includes exhibitions, curriculum, and learning
aids related to primary sources.
American
Posters of World War One
A collection of posters in the United States during and just after
the First World War. Approximately 30 are presented here.
Art
of the Book
This is a brief online tour of an exhibition of book publishing
art. Its ten plates cover over six hundred years of book publishing history,
and are accompanied by helpful explanations of each image.
Booknotes (Archives)
The main highlight of the site is the archive of transcripts from
the C-SPAN Booknotes show, dating back to 1989. Users can browse through
full-text transcriptions of interviews with famous authors. With Real Player
installed, visitors can also watch the entire program for free on their
computer. (Description from Internet Scout Project.)
California Coastal
Records Project
This site is developing an aerial photographic survey of the California
Coast. The goal of the project is to create a permanent record of the California
coastline as it is today. The site allows users to browse images in sequence,
or enter geographic coordinates for a particular coastal location. Images
are taken from the vantage point of a helicopter offshore at (approximately)
500 feet.
California
Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties
The WPA California Folk Music Project includes sound recordings,
still photographs, drawings, and written documents from a variety of European
ethnic and English- and Spanish-speaking communities in Northern California.
The collection comprises 35 hours of folk music recorded in twelve languages
and representing numerous ethnic groups and 185 musicians.
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California
Heritage Collection
"An online archive of more than 30,000 images illustrating California's
history and culture, from the collections of the Bancroft Library at the
University of California, Berkeley." (Tip: Start by browsing their
collection to see what is there.)
California Museum of Photography
(UCR)
Comprises numerous collections on various themes, ranging from
the work of Ansel Adams to the Missions of California, to various photographic
studies of Los Angeles. Images date from the latter 19th Century to current
times.
California
Rails
Several dozen railroad photographs taken by Harry Pidgeon and Will
Connell between 1913 and the 1940s, including images of wrecks, locomotives,
and lumber camps.
Caltech Archives
PhotoNet
"An online database containing thousands of images from the Archives'
collection of visual material... includes a wide selection of images of
people, places, and things." The basic focus is on science, especially
people and discoveries related to the California Institute of Technology.
Canada's Digital Collections
Primary sources from the country of Canada. Available in both French
and English languages. Explore the rich and varied cultures of Canada.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic
History Museum
"This website is very large and growing (almost 2,000 pages, 22,500
links, and 300 MB) with a terrific on-line library of 19th century pictures
(more than 1,500), maps and descriptions of railroad construction and travel...."
The Church
in the Southern Black Community: Collection of Electronic Texts
Get started by clicking on the link: "Collection
of Electronic Texts". Includes full text publications grouped around
the stated theme. Includes diaries, slave songs, historical sketches and
other sources-- all in the words of the people who lived or observed those
events and times.
Civil
War Women: Primary Sources on the Internet
From the Duke University Library: "Given the wealth of information
about the Civil War already on the Internet, there is a relatively small
amount of material that reflects women's lives and experiences during this
time period. Below are links to primary sources on the Internet that are
directly related to women and the Civil War."
Closer
Look - The Arts of Islam
This exhibition includes many examples of art from the countries
with significant populations that practice the religion of Islam. The three
principal vehicles for artistic expression in the Islamic world are architecture,
the arts of the book (calligraphy, illustration, illumination, and bookbinding),
and the arts of the object (ceramics, metalwork, glass, woodwork, textiles,
and ivory).
Conversations
With History
"In these lively and unedited interviews, distinguished men and
women from all over the world talk about their lives and their work. They
reminisce about their participation in great events, and they share their
perspectives on the past and reflect on what the future may hold. Guests
include diplomats, statesmen, and soldiers; economists and political analysts;
scientists and historians; writers and foreign correspondents; activists
and artists."
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Documenting the American
South
A collection of primary sources on Southern history, literature
and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th
century. It includes 787 books and manuscripts (as of January 2001). Most
are accompanied by a full bibliographic record.
Documents
For The Study Of American History
Important documents that affected the U.S. History are organized
according to the historical time period.
Dr. Seuss
Went to War
"Over 400 editorial cartoons" created by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
during 1941-1943 for the New York newspaper PM. Browsable by date and subject
(people, countries/regions, war/domestic issues, battles, and battlefields).
Includes a set of war bond cartoons by Geisel.
DOUGLASS | Archives of
American Public Address
"An electronic archive of American oratory and related documents.
It is intended to serve general scholarship and courses in American rhetorical
history at Northwestern University."
The Emergence
of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920
"Presents over 9,000 images, with database information, relating
to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials,
drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at
Duke University, provide a significant and informative perspective on the
early evolution of this most ubiquitous feature of modern American business
and culture."
Encyclopedia of Educational
Statistics
This is a set of four separate reports which use statistics to
describe various matters related to education, mostly in the U.S., including:
The Condition of Education: 2000; The Digest of Education Statistics: 1999;
Education Indicators: An International Perspective; and Youth Indicators
1996.
First Person Narratives
of the American South
This collection "focuses on the diaries, autobiographies, memoirs,
travel accounts, and ex-slave narratives of relatively inaccessible populations:
women, African Americans, enlisted men, laborers, and Native Americans."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Library & Museum
From the 1930's through the 40s, access over 10,000 of the "documents,
photographs, sound and video recordings, finding aids, and other primary
source materials found at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park,
New York." Many are public domain, copyright-free.
GPO Access: Official
Federal Government Information At Your Fingertips
Here is a place where you can find official government documents
from all of the agencies, commissions and official bodies that serve the
American people.
Great
American Speeches
"Here you can read the speeches and backgrounds of many of the
most influential and poignant speakers of the recorded age. To help
put each speaker in historical context, they have also provided a brief
timeline of historical events." Click on "Speech Archive" to see speeches
listed according to the 20th Century decade.
Historic
American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
The collection includes 3,042 pieces of sheet music published in
America between 1850 and 1920. It presents a wide variety of types of vocal
music: bel canto, minstrel songs, protest songs, sentimental songs, patriotic
and political songs, plantation songs, Civil War songs, spirituals, dance
music, songs from vaudeville and musicals, etc.
Historical United
States Census Data Browser
The data presented here describe the people and the economy of
the US for each state and county from 1790 to 1960. An amazing amount of
detail is available in the form of charts, graphs and tables.
History
of the United Kingdom - Primary Documents
Many of the important documents related to the history of the UK
are available here.(Not an official UK government site, but quite comprehensive.)
Hmong
Textiles
A collection of over twenty images of textiles from the Hmong people
of Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, and from Hmong-Americans. Includes examples
of "flower cloth" (paj ntaub) which "is used to decorate traditional Hmong
clothing and valued as works of textile art."
Images from the History
of Medicine
"Nearly 60,000 images in the prints and photograph collection of
the History of Medicine Division (HMD) of the U.S. National Library of
Medicine (NLM). The collection includes portraits, pictures of institutions,
caricatures, genre scenes, and graphic art in a variety of media, illustrating
the social and historical aspects of medicine."
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Images
of American Political History
"A collection of over 500 public domain images of American Political
History."
Internet Archive
of Texts and Documents
"A creation of faculty and students in the History Department of
Hanover College. The principal goal of the Archive is to make primary texts
and secondary sources on the internet available to students and faculty
for use in history and humanity classes." Focus is prior to the 20th Century.
Library
of Southern Literature
"Documents the riches and diversity of Southern experience as presented
in one hundred of its most important literary works." Please also see the
accompanying essay, "Introduction
to Literature in the American South."
Lines of
Sight: Views of the U.S./Mexican Border
An exhibit of fourteen "contemporary views of the [U.S./Mexico]
border through the eyes of [five] artists based north and south of the
border." Includes photographs, paintings, video stills, installation views,
and information on the artists represented in the exhibit. Also available
in Spanish.
Lost and Found
Sound
Audio archives of interesting and wonderful recording discoveries
from the history of radio and American culture. Created by National Public
Radio, and based on their research and programs in this series.
The Louisiana State Museum
Photograph Collection
Accesses a digital collection of 1,500 photographs of Louisiana
cities, culture, people, landscape, and waterways. These historical photographs
date from mid 1800 to early 1900 and were taken by many of the well known
photographers of the day.
Lunar
Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon
The Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon by Bowker and
Hughes (NASA SP-206) is considered the definitive reference manual to the
global photographic coverage of the Moon. The images contained within the
atlas are excellent for studying lunar morphology because they were obtained
at low to moderate Sun angles. This digital archive consists of the complete
set of 675 plates contained in Bowker and Hughes.
A
Luta Continua: African Liberation Movement Posters
During the nineteen fifties and sixties the vast majority of former
European colonies in Africa achieved their independence from their erstwhile
"mother countries." The nineteen sixties in Southern Africa, therefore,
became synonymous with the era of liberation wars or armed struggle. The
posters in this collection represent the intensity of the conflicts being
waged in those years. This exhibit represents a cross-section of politically
engaged poster art from the African Revolution.
Making of America
"A digital library of primary sources in American social history
from the pre-Civil War period through the 1920's. The collection is particularly
strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history,
sociology, religion, and science and technology. The collection currently
contains approximately 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th
century imprints."
Mathematical
Art of M.C. Escher
M.C. Escher is a widely known and popular artist whose work depicts
complex, and often impossible, geometrical patterns. This Web site examines
the mathematics behind his drawings. Many examples of Escher's work are
provided, illustrating mathematical principles such as the shape and the
logic of space. Tessellations and polyhedra are common building blocks
of the drawings.
Mathew
Brady NY Studio: Portraits of Famous People
The famous Civil War photographer, Mathew Brady, had a studio in
New York City. Many of those who were photographed there were quite famous
in their day, the mid-late 1900s. Brady's images may be viewed at this
site, and include brief descriptions of the persons.
NASA Image Exchange
Images of all the aspects related to space exploration. Searches
numerous collections for topics of your choice. Also offers the ability
to browse subjects such as Aeronautics, Space, and Solar System (with many,
many sub-categories.)
National Archives and Records
Administration (U.S.)
A digital collection of documents and images related to the U.S.
government. Many are official documents that are preserved in their original
form, and are made available to the public here in digital format. Also
includes exhibitions, curriculum, and learning aids related to primary
sources.
Native American Constitution
and Law
Tribal constitutions and codes are the heart of self-government
for over 500 federally recognized tribes, and are the lifeblood of Indian
sovereignty. These tribal documents are either placed online with the permission
of the tribes, or they are U.S. Government documents, rightfully in the
public domain.
Nazi and East
German Propaganda
"Propaganda was central to Nazi Germany and the German Democratic
Republic. The German Propaganda Archive includes both propaganda itself
and material produced for the guidance of propagandists. The goal is to
help people understand the two great totalitarian systems of the 20th Century
by giving them access to the primary material."
New York Public Library Digital
Library Collection
A growing collection of interesting and wide ranging subjects relaetd
to American life and culture-- not just NY! Has both images and texts.
19th
Century California Sheet Music
A virtual library of some 2,000 pieces of sheet music published
in California between 1852 and 1900, together with related materials such
as a San Francisco publisher's catalog of 1872,
programs, songsheets, advertisements, and photographs. Images of every
printed page of sheet music from ten locations have been scanned at 400
dpi, in color where indicated.
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North American
Slave Narratives
Books and interviews with persons who held or were themselves slaves
during the period when slavery was legal in the U.S. You can get
some good background by reading the accompanying essay, "An
Introduction to the Slave Narrative."
Online Archive
of California
Provides access to tens of thousands of photographs, paintings,
graphical materials and other types of images. The "Browse Images" feature
organizes these images by topic, and allows you to browse by a topic of
your interest.
Perry-Castañeda
Library Map Collection
A large collection of digitized maps from all areas of the world.
Please see the section at the bottom: "Electronic Map Collection - Frequently
Asked Questions" for tips and information about this collection.
Photo Essays
from TIME.com
"TIME.com photo essays cover the world, from the Balkans to the
environmental disaster of the Aral Sea, from the tragedies of the Kennedy
family to Ricky Martin's vida loca." These well illustrated photo essays
tend to cover the popular or well known people and evenets of the world.
Fun to browse!
Photobank
This primary source includes "a wide range of subjects related
to the UNESCO organization's fields of competence: education, science,
culture, and communication." It was begin in 1946 when UNESCO was founded
and currently contains over 10,000 digitalized images.
Photographs
from the Golden Age of Jazz
Over sixteen hundred photographs of celebrated jazz artists, documents
the jazz scene from 1938 to 1948 in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Has portraits of prominent jazz musicians and personalities, including
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Dizzy
Gillespie, Earl Hines, Thelonious Monk, Stan Kenton, Ray McKinley, Coleman
Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Carter.
Picturing
the Century
The National Archives holds millions of documents related to the
U.S. History. Many of these are photographs. These outstanding images span
the 20th Century, and offer various perspectives on American life. "They
depict both the mundane and high political drama, society's failings as
well as its triumphs, war's ugliness as well as its bravery. This exhibition
is arranged in chronological "galleries" as well as seven "portfolios"
of talented photographers well represented in NARA's holdings."
Posters
American Style
This exhibition brings together some of the great graphic images
made in the United States over the past century. It serves as a guide to
American poster art as it explores the process of making the messages of
commerce, propaganda, and patriotism evident through a visual medium.
Project
Gutenberg Etexts
Complete texts to a huge number of literature, books and other
documents that are free of copyright. Organized by author
surname. See also: Listing
by Title. While this archive is set up for downloading, the texts
may be read online.
Rear View
Mirror: Automobile Images and American Identities
An exhibit of over 20 photographs exploring "the American relationship
with the automobile."
Roadside Peek
Pure Americana built around the U.S. road and car cultures
of the mid-late 20th Century. "Takes you on a roadside journey, including
stops along the revitalized Route 66. As you travel, visit old motels,
bowling alleys, drive-in theatres, neon signs, petrol pumps, googie sites,
tiki villages, and much more.
Siege and Commune
of Paris, 1870-1871
"Links to over 1200 digitized photographs and images recorded during
the Siege and Commune of Paris (cir. 1871). In addition to the images in
this set, the Library's Siege & Commune Collection contains 1500 caricatures,
68 newspapers in hard-copy and film, hundreds of books and pamphlets and
about 1000 posters.
Smithsonian
American Art Museum Online Exhibitions
"Online versions of a number of past and present museum exhibitions.
These online versions, available indefinitely, complement and extend our
gallery shows. From the Smithsonian Institution, in our Washington, D.C."
Social
Activism Sound Recording Project
The goal of the project is to make accessible via the web a unique
library of recordings of significant people and events that shaped the
politics and culture of the 1960's. The first phase of this project focuses
specifically on social activist movements in Berkeley, California, particularly
the Free Speech Movement." Includes Black Panthers and Free Speech Movement
sections.
SpeechBot
This is "a search engine for audio & video content that is
hosted and played from other websites. Note: The transcripts of the content
are based on speech recognition and are not exact."
"Suffering
Under a Great Injustice": Ansel Adams's Photographs of Japanese-American
Internment at Manzanar
In 1943, Ansel Adams (1902-1984), the photographer, documented
the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese- Americans
interned there during World War II. The collection presents for the first
time side-by-side digital scans of Adams's 242 original negatives and his
209 photographic prints.
THOMAS: Legislative Information
On the Internet
Access to almost all of the documents, laws, proceedings, speeches,
committees, people and related information for The U.S. Congress (Senate
and House of Representatives). Includes the Congressional Record.
Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast was a celebrity. In 1873, following his successful
campaign against New York City’s Tweed Ring, he was billed as “The Prince
of Caricaturists” for a lecture tour that lasted seven months. He popularized
the elephant to symbolize the Republican Party and the donkey as the symbol
for the Democratic Party, and created the "modern" image of Santa Claus.
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Through
Our Parents Eyes: Tucson's Diverse Community
"Shares the history and experiences of Tucsonans (Arizona) from
various ethnic backgrounds in a way that acknowledges our multi-cultural
heritage. These exhibits are digital histories, combining historical images
and text with stories of Tucson told by some of Tucson's founding members.
Trabajadores
Immigrantes/ Immigrant Workers
An exhibit of over thirty photographs of Latino immigrant workers
on strike in the United States, taken by David Bacon. Includes commentary
from Bacon, and background information on the photographer.
UNESCO's PHOTOBANK
Collection
Includes "a wide range of subjects related to the Organization's
fields of competence: education, science, culture and communication-- was
started in 1946 when UNESCO was founded and currently contains over 10,000
digitalized images. More will become available as the rest of the collection
is digitalized and further developed so as to ensure a more equitable balance
of subjects and countries."
Watergate:
Special Report
A Washington Post special report on the 25th anniversary of Watergate,
you can refresh your memory with a timeline and take a look at what happened
to some of the key players in the case. This June 1997 package commemorated
the 25th anniversary of the Watergate burglary.
Web Gallery of
Art
Contains over 11,000 digital reproductions of European paintings
and sculptures created between the years 1150 and 1800. A number of the
pictures are accompanied by comments and biographies of significant artists
are provided. The special viewer allows you to zoom in on the details of
the art works.
Western Folklife Center: Cowboy
Poetry
Since early days of the trail drives after the Civil War, cowboys
have been written and spoken about, their images sketched and painted,
their trappings braided and sewn. Available on the site is information
on Cowboy Poetry History, and audio recordings of The National Cowboy Poetry
Gathering, "a jubilee of conversation, singing, dancing, great hats and
boots, stories, laughing and crying, big steaks, incessant rhymes, and
a galloping cadence that keeps time for a solid week."
White
House Collection of American Crafts
This exhibition serves as a guide and handbook to American crafts
based on the several types of materials used. The materials are: ceramics,
fiber, glass, metal, and wood. These are covered in separate sections,
that include images (with descriptions) of works by well know craftspeople.
Short biographical information is given for each of the person whose work
is featured. Includes brief audio and video comments by the curator of
the exhibit.
Additional Links
Related to Primary Source Collections
Exploring
Image Collections on the Internet
"An overview of resources for images - from archaeology, architecture
and art to urban design. Includes sources within MIT and beyond." Where
to look and what to look for when accessing images on the Web.
Primary
Sources Research
Answers two important questions:
What is a primary source?
What are the formats of primary sources?
Repositories
of Primary Sources
From the University of Idaho Library: A listing of over 4300 websites
describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs,
and other primary sources for the research scholar.
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