LibGuides: *Africana Studies: Images

Databases for Images

Artstor
Database consisting of more than one million images covering art, architecture and archeology. Collections can be searched as a whole or individually.
Made up of 10 distinct image collections: The Image Gallery; The Art History Survey Collection; The Illustrated Bartsch, The Carnegie Arts of the United States Collection, The Huntington Archive of Asian Art; The Mellon International Dunhuang Archive; The Museum of Modern Art Architecture and Design Collection; Native American Art and Culture, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution; and Schlesinger History of Women in America Collection.
ImageQuest
Offers access to approximately three million images from over 50 different collections. All images in Image Quest are rights-cleared for non-commercial, educational use including use in reports and projects or on school Web sites, newsletters, newspapers, flyers, and bulletins.
AP Newsroom (AP interface)
The AP Newsroom site allows users to download images for educational purposes only.
AP Newsroom (EBSCO interface)
Associated Press Images Collection - Enter your keywords first and then select the "Images" source type facet on the left.
Content in this database is intended for editorial, non-commercial use.

Kehinde Wiley

Kehinde Wiley - Lamentation [ST. MARY , 2016]
Photo Credit: Yannick
Taken on November 5, 2016

Keep in mind...

Note that many other databases include images on the topics they cover, particularly encyclopedias and other reference sources such as Opposing Viewpoints in Context and the African American Studies Center. Many of the Primary Sources databases include the full image of the historical newspapers and magazines they index.

Digital Collections

Getty Black History and Culture Collection
A not‑for‑profit initiative created to provide access to historical and cultural images of the African/Black Diaspora in the US and UK, gathered from content owned by Getty Images.
Created for non‑commercial use to build on existing educational materials, it paves the way for a deeper understanding of Black History. Additionally, the visuals found within the collection offer inspiration for educational projects.
Leon K. Hughes Photography Collection
The collection includes more than 1,000 digital images taken by Hughes of African American workers and their families from 1940 through the 1970s. Hughes began by photographing workers in the Wichita aircraft industry. But his work expanded to cover weddings, graduations, birthday celebrations, religious events, and other facets of African American life.
National African American Photographic Archive
The National African American Photographic Archive (NAAPA) project is a collaborative effort between the University Libraries, University of Memphis and Ampro Industries, Inc. of Memphis. The aim of the project is to collect, scan, and make available to the public photographs and informative metadata illustrating the daily and work lives and social activities of African Americans.
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Provides free and open access to over 800,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections. Several collections include images of the African American and Diaspora experiences.

Need images you can reuse freely? You can browse just the items that have no known US copyright restrictions. Copy & paste this link: http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?filters%5Brights%5D=pd&keywords=
Through the Lens of Time
A digital collection of over 250 images of African Americans dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth century, selected from the George and Huestis Cook Photograph Collection at the Valentine Richmond History Center. This is a joint project between VCU Libraries and the Valentine Richmond History Center.
UVA Holsinger Studio Collection
A unique photographic record of life in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia, from before the turn of the century through World War I. Consists of over 9,500 negatives from the commercial studio of Rufus W. Holsinger. Includes nearly 500 portraits of African-American citizens of Charlottesville and the surrounding area.

Other Online Image Sources

Furman University Digital Collections
Search over 80,000 items including: photographs, books, sheet music, and original manuscripts
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is a media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content to everyone. A collection of freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.
Flickr Creative Commons Group
Use the advanced search function to limit results to reusable images with Creative Commons licenses.
Google Images
Be sure to filter by "usage rights: Creative Commons Licenses" to find images that are free to use, share, or modify.
U.S. Government Photos and Images
Find government photos and images by topic. Limited usefulness. No way to sort or even see your search result total.
Pixabay
Pixabay provides images that are licensed under CC0 - Public Domain so they are free to be copied, modified, and used in any situation. Includes illustrations.