Layers of Meaning

NY Public Library Digital Image Archive

New York Public Library has opened its digital gallery to the public. So far, about 275,000 items are online, "digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more."

A New York Times review complains of the old fashioned organization of the collection: "The digital gallery is modeled on an old-fashioned card catalog, with all the attendant creaks. Doing a search is like going into a library and opening file drawers." Yet this is also a great charm of the collection: the sense of exploration and discovery.

Browsing can occur through the archive's front page collections list, or by subject, or name/title.

Some collections that will be of interest to fiber artists are:
Ornament and Pattern: Pre-Victorian to Art Deco (including several books - 256 pages - by Seguy)
The Floating World: Japanese Color Woodcuts by Kitagawa Utamaro (56 color plates)
Turn of the Century Posters
Anyone up for creating a work exploring the inhumanity of slavery and the dreams of freedom and a better life? There is the log of a slave ship and The gospel of slavery: a primer of freedom..
On a lighter note and reminiscent of Wayne Thiebaud's paintings, there is the book of Ladies' dress shoes of the nineteenth century or The history of the feminine costume of the world, from the year 5318 B.C. to our century.

Note that images prior to 1922 are not subject to copyright fees. The library has a thoroughly considered pricing schedule for all other images.

Lots of inspiration. Drop by for a visit!