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A Guide To...Art History

What sources are available to me?

Sources for images include:

  • Artstor (see link below)
  • books, magazines, and other print material that can be scanned
  • reliable websites
  • museum websites
  • archives and their websites
  • 35 mm slides
  • Library databases, besides Artstor, that include images
  • can you photograph the work yourself?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of these various image sources in relation to your need?

Search Strategies

  • Align your search strategies with available sources and the unique search capabilities of those sources.

  • Understand the role of textual information.
    • How will words help you find visual information?
    • What concepts and terms have you learned that might help you describe and locate images?

  • What type of metadata is usually associated with images?

  • Recognize that there may be variations in controlled vocabularies
    • For example, one source may use "car," while another uses "automobile" to describe the same thing

  • Recognize that some sources to do not provide subject terms

  • Consider synonyms and related search terms as you conduct and refine your searches
    • Use images you have found to help expand and continue your search

  • Within the scope of a larger project, conduct topical and visual research concurrently and allow each to inform the other

Assess what you've found

  • Evaluate image sources for bias
     
  • Examine images for signs of editing, alteration, or manipulation (like cropping, color correction, or enhancements)
    • What effects do these changes have on the meaning and accuracy of the image?
       
  • Evaluate the technical characteristics of images (resolution, size, file format)
     
  • Evaluate the quality of a reproduction based on factors such as color accuracy, resolution, and comparison to other reproductions (digital and in print)
     
  • Evaluate textual information that accompanies images for accuracy, reliability, currency, and completeness
    •  Consult multiple sources to verify information or conduct more research
       

Look at how much images of the same work can vary across the Internet