Research Guides: Historic Preservation: Find Images & Maps

Image Databases / Online Collections

ARTstor
Repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images, from across many periods and cultures. Architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, and other forms of visual culture are represented. Provides tools to actively use images for scholarship, teaching, and learning.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Catalog
Fantastic collection, much of which has been digitized.
NYPL Digital Gallery
Strong map collections.
University of Maryland Digital Collections - NTL Historic Postcard Collection
Digital Public Library of America
Aggregates a number of online collections.

Blueprints / Building Plans

Many times, the documentation from a particular architect's office has been lost or is maintained internally or by the family. Sometimes it will make its way into a library collection.

If you're searching Google, try something like "architectural drawings collection site:.edu" to pick up archival collections at various universities.

Historic American Buildings Survey
Measured drawings, photographs, and data pages for many buildings, structures, and sites in the United States.

Reference Books

Kreisel, Martha. Photography books index III: a subject guide to photo anthologies. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2006.
TR199 .M67 2006
Art Library Reference

Subject Headings

Use these to search the library catalog more efficiently and effectively - enter them in the "Subject beginning with" drop-down in the UMD catalog or the "Subject" field of the advanced search in any library catalog.

Try some of these for images and maps:

Photographs --Catalogs

Photographs -- [any geographic location]

[any geographic location] -- Pictorial works

[any geographic location] -- Maps

Newspaper/Magazine Photos

Although many of these photographs remain under copyright, the "photo morgues" of newspapers and magazine sometimes make their way into libraries and can be a great resource. Some are online, and some are close by!

Washington Star Collection (Washingtoniana Division, DC Public Library)
Life Magazine Photo Archive (Google)
Baltimore News American collection
The Baltimore News American Collection consists of materials that document the history of the News American and its predecessors. The collection dates from 1773-2006 with the bulk of material dating between 1930 and 1973. It includes photographs, newspaper clippings, library files, correspondence, scrapbooks, unpublished and published manuscripts, editorial style guides, subscriber materials, an oral history, employee newsletters, and original newspapers. This is a rich resource to study the history of mid-20th century America.

UMD's Map Collections

UMD's map collections are in three locations: Hornbake Library/Maryland Room (Maryland maps), McKeldin Library 4th floor (government maps) and online (databases).

SimplyAnalytics
SimplyAnalytics contains extensive data including demographic, historic census, business, health, real estate, housing, employment, consumer spending, and marketing (over 70,000 variables total). Users can create customized maps and reports; data is down to the census tract level. Click on "Sign in as a guest" to use database. data is available at the State, County, City, ZIP Code, Census Tract and Block Group level as well as custom trade area and the entire United States. Access limited to 5 concurrent users.

Map Databases

Digital Sanborn Maps
Fire insurance maps are a core resource for documenting the development of neighborhoods over time. Founded in 1867, the Sanborn Map Company was the primary American publisher of fire insurance maps for nearly 100 years. They show lot numbers, square footage of lots, street addresses, which lots have buildings and their shape and materials. They indicate the type of construction, property lines, and the number of stories. They can narrow the date when a building was constructed. They can be used to track demolition, recent construction and alterations. They identify plot numbers necessary to access deed and other civil records. This digital product provides access to the maps of all United States' states. Users have the ability to easily manipulate the maps, magnify and zoom in on specific sections, and layer maps from different years. 1867-1970
Congressional Publications
Eclectic and beautiful maps of the U.S. from 1789 to the present with a very wide range of subjects and places. To search the maps, go to the "Advanced Search" tab, from the "Search Within" list choose only "Serial Set Maps".

Online Map Collections

Library of Congress - American Memory
Amazing digitized maps from the Library of Congress. Downloadable in high resolution. Bird's-eye views of many American cities included.
NYPL Digital Gallery
Strong map collections.

Reference Books (Cartobibliographies)

Pre-Internet, people laboriously created lists of what maps appeared in what books...they're still helpful! So are online bibliographies.

Historic Preservation

Copyright

Citation