You can find images and reprints of many primary sources online, as well as information about where to find physical items in libraries and museums. Like any source of information, be careful that you only use trusted sites to ensure the materials you access are authentic. Trusted institutions include
See the Primary Source Collections Page for trusted websites chosen by IOT Library Team.
Be cautious of personal websites that may be difficult to verify that the item is what it claims to be.
A database of dealer and collector archives consolidating information about repositories, dealers, collectors, and dealer archives (including dealer photograph archives). This tool provides essential information for scholars working in the fast-growing field of the history of collecting.
Use the Archives Hub to find unique sources for your research, both physical and digital. Search across descriptions of archives, held at over 350 institutions across the UK.
Find and view descriptions and images of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the British Library. Explore virtual exhibitions and digitized manuscripts.
An online archive of digitized primary sources from the CHS Collection.
The Getty Research Institute is an international center, dedicated to providing resources, expertise, and a collaborative environment for art-historical research and publication. Through the generous support of organizations and collaboration with external partners, the Research Institute continues its mission to further knowledge and to advance understanding of the visual arts.
Google has partnered with museums and other collections around the world to showcase their collections online. Search by location, collection, theme, experiments, artists, mediums, historical events, historical figures, etc.
A preservation repository with millions of volumes digitized by Google, the Internet Archive, and HathiTrust’s partner institutions. Approximately one-third of the volumes are in the public domain and can be viewed in their entirety.
Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Large collections of digitized materials from the Library of Congress are available online.
A federated search solution by searching multiple databases from different vendors for Library Resources and Service in one centralized location.
More than 406,000 images of public-domain artworks from The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) Collection are available for free and unrestricted use.
Features records comprising the national Inventory of American Painting and Sculpture databases, the Peter A. Juley & Son Collection, and the Pre-1877 Art Exhibition Catalogue index.
The Library of Congress Digital Collections, Primary Sources by State, State Resource Guides, and other digital initiatives provide free access through the Internet to the treasures of the Library’s collections that document America’s history, culture, and creativity. Across the country, the archives, cultural institutions, museums, and libraries of most states are collaborating to create similar projects. They provide unprecedented access to materials that document local and regional growth and development as well as a look at the cultures and traditions that have made individual states and communities unique.