Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Art & Architecture Collection

Interior Design

A Research Guide

Detail of illustration from
Ludwig Gruner's The
Decorations of the
Garden-Pavilion in the
Grounds of Buckingham Palace,
(London: J. Murray, 1846).
Photographic Services & Permissions

The Art and Architecture Collection of The New York Public Library maintains one of the most significant collections of interior design literature in the United States. Acquisitions from the original Astor, Tilden and Lenox collections and other early bequests include influential architectural source books, an antiquarian-based collection of portfolio and plate-books, and early design periodicals. The current interior design collection policy is extensive, with emphasis on theory and history rather than professional or applied aspects. In spite of this, many practicing interior designers, architects and students use this collection, as do scholars, theatrical set designers, and antique dealers. The Division also collects in other areas closely linked with the study of interior design, such as architecture, decorative arts, and furniture history.

--prepared by Heidi Martin Winston, Art and Architecture Collection.
October, 1996