LibGuides: Images: Image Collections

Rice Images

William Ward Watkin architectural records,1903-1956
Includes construction photographs and architectural drawings of the early Rice Institute, and drawings of projects from his private architectural career.

AP Photo Library This link opens in a new window
Contains approximately 700,000 photographs dating back to 1850; 800 additional images are added each day by photojournalists. Operated by the Associated Press.
Photographs of current events are available to view and print within minutes of an event.
Archives Image Library This link opens in a new window
Includes over 90,000 electronic images from several archival repositories at the Smithsonian.
ARTstor
Content includes nearly 2 million images covering art, architecture and archaeology.
ARTstor's content has moved to JSTOR, and the ARTstor website was retired on August 1, 2024. More information here: https://www.jstor.org/artstor-move/
Digital Sanborn Maps (Texas) This link opens in a new window
Texas fire insurance maps from 1867–1970 that can be used to estimate the potential risk for urban structures and to look at historical neighborhood structure.
Sanborn includes information such as the outline of each building, the size, shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures, location of windows and doors. The maps also give street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers.

Flickr: Creative Commons
Lists works that have been shared through Flickr with one of the Creative Commons reuse licenses (see the explanations of how photos may be used)

Google Image This link opens in a new window
Google's Image Search covers billions of images indexed and available for viewing.
WARNING: The results you see with this feature may contain mature content. Google considers a number of factors when determining whether an image is relevant to your search request. Because these methods are not entirely foolproof, it's possible some inappropriate pictures may be included among the images you see. (The mature content filter is only available from an English interface.)
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Art resource containing Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, and The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, with access to more than 23,000 subject entries, 21,000 biographies, 500,000 bibliographic citations, 40,000 image links and 5,000 images.
The entire text of The Dictionary of Art, ed. Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, ed. Hugh Brigstocke (2001).
NYPL Digital Library This link opens in a new window
NYPL 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.
Includes illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more.

Shared Shelf Commons (ArtStor)
Shared Shelf Commons is a free open-access library of images. Search and browse collections with tools to zoom, print, export, and share images. Institutions that participate in Shared Shelf can choose to share their images with the world via the Commons.
TIMEA (Travelers in the Middle East Archives)
A body of literature and images documenting travels during the 18th, 19th and 20th century of Europeans and Americans. Collections include historical maps and plans, and other visual materials.

U.S. Government Photos & Images This link opens in a new window
Most and graphics are available for use in the public domain, and may be used and reproduced without permission or fee. Some images may be protected by license - read the disclaimers on each site.

Wikimedia Commons
A repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files