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Research Guides: Art and Architecture

  • A User’s Guide to NYPL for DIY Designers and Artisans

    The New York Public Library holds a wealth of unexpected sources of inspiration for artists and designers—from vintage valentines and textile patterns, to fabric samples and turn-of-the-century menus from around the world.

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    African-American Art and Artists (PDF)

    This guide is pathfinder to locating information about African-American Art and Artists in the Mid-Manhattan Library's Art Collection.

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    Apparel, Fashion and Textiles

    How do I find industry information for apparel/fashion/textiles? How do I find out about technologies related to apparel/fashion/textiles? What are standards and regulations and how do I find out the ones related to apparel/fashion/textiles?

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    Architecture: Research Guide

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    Art & Architecture: Electronic Resources (PDF)

    A list of databases available from the New York Public Library to assist with research in Art & Architecture.

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    Art Grants & Jobs (PDF)

    A directory of books, periodicals and internet resources to assist in the search for art grants and jobs.

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    Art History

    The New York Public Library has the largest publicly accessible collection in the Americas of materials related to the history of art. The majority of publications are located in the Art & Architecture Collection, but other works can be found throughout the Library’s collection.

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    Art in New York (PDF)

    This list highlights resources in the visual art fields in New York City and New York State.

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    Auction Sales Indexes: Books, CD-ROM's and Online Services

    The following is a guide to auction sale indexes, price guides and catalogs. Since individual auction houses do not issue their own indexes, the use of these compilations provides the best approach to finding sale information.

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    Classics

    The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library are an important resource for the study of classics in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to retrospective holdings in the subject, NYPL has a strong collection of current classics materials, mostly in English, but in a number of European languages as well.

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    Comic Books

    It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!!! Comics and comic books are one of the most pervasive and influential media forms of 20th-century popular culture. A survey of current scholarly indexes demonstrates that researchers in the fields of history, sociology, and literature are discovering that studying comic books provides unique and valuable insights on 20th-century culture.

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    Cosmetics

    Find industry information, regulations and standards as well as manufacturers, suppliers and buyers for the cosmetic industry. This research guide also includes information on how to keep current on the latest industry information. 

     

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    Costume and Fashion History: A Guide to Resources

    The literature of costume and fashion history is diverse in nature. The first printed books on the subject appeared in the sixteenth century.

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    Decorative Arts

    The study of decorative art objects is an old practice, but has accelerated during the 20th century, with the founding of decorative arts, related museum studies degree programs, and general public interest in collecting antiques and collectibles. The Library collection has rich retrospective holdings on furniture, glass and stained glass, metalware, and rugs and carpets.

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    Digital Photography Bibliography * (PDF)

    An annotated list of resources — professional, technical, legal etc. — for digital photographers.

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    Empire and Regency Styles

    Two distinctive movements, now known as the Empire Style and the Regency Style, were born out of the formal Neoclassicism that dominated late eighteenth century European building and decoration.

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    From the Daguerreotype to the Polaroid: An Introduction to Photographic Processes

    This research guide to the photographic process includes a glossery of terms, a timeline of photography, a bibliography and selected internet resources.

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    Graphic Design (PDF)

    A guide to resources at the Mid-Manhattan Library for commerical artists and graphic designers.

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    Jewelry

    The following bibliography is a guide to some of the more significant titles in our collection. It serves as an introduction to the best information on the topic, and as a starting point for searching the Library's catalog for additional materials. The Library's holdings include dictionaries & encyclopedias, historical surveys, exhibition catalogs, handbooks and manuals. Relevant trade periodicals, directories, and scholarly journals

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    Menu Collection of The New York Public Library

    The New York Public Library owns one of the largest historical collections of menus in the world, held in the Rare Books Division. Begun by a donation from Miss Frank E. Buttolph and continued until her death in 1924, the collection has been augmented by other gifts over the years.

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