Images
Find and use images and other visual resources from the University Library. Email us at Imageworks@umich.edu with questions about finding and using images.
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Primary Source Materials
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Archive FinderA directory describing over 206,200 collections of primary source material housed in thousands of repositories across the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland.
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ArchiveGridA guide to nearly one million collections of historical records, personal papers, and family histories held in thousands of archives around the world.
Scroll down to find image resources related to:
Performing Arts
Costume & Set Design
Theater
Film
Music
General Image Resources in the Performing Arts
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JSTOR / ImagesUse JSTOR Images Tab to search over one million images, including former Artstor content.Requires University logon for off-campus access. To save image groups, register at the site using your umich email address.
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Bridgeman EducationA growing database of over 3,000,000 digital images from museums, galleries, private collections and contemporary artists all copyright cleared for educational use.
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EuropeanaEuropeana is a single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe.
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Flickr : The CommonsPublic domain photography collections supplied to Flickr by museums around the world.
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Global Performing Arts Database (GloPAD)A database of digital images, texts, clips and recordings related to the performing arts.
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Life Magazine Photo ArchiveExtensive collection from the photojournalist magazine chronicling American life and events over the last century and a half.
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Museum of Modern ArtBrowse or search the MoMA collections.
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Naxos Video LibraryVideo library with opera, ballet, live concerts and documentaries.
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NYPL Digital GalleryOver 700,000 images from the NY Public Library's image collection.
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Oxford Art OnlineOnline version of the comprehensive art reference work covering all forms of the visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic and decorative arts, and photography, from prehistory to the 1990s. Includes 41,000 articles and 10,000 color images.
Image Resources for Costume and Set Design
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Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection : Costume Institute CollectionBrowse or search images within the Costume Institute Collections.
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NYPL Digital Gallery: Dress & FashionSeveral rare and unusual published resources of interest to students of western dress and fashion from the 19th to the early 20th-century. Includes historical surveys as well as manufacturers' booklets and sample swatch catalogs.
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Siam Costumes Cutters GuidesExtensive directory of 19th and 20th century costume types for inspiration. Select one of their galleries to see numerous illustrated examples.
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USITT: United States Institute for Theatre TechnologyProfessional organization devoted to theatre technology. (No images, but a useful organization to know about.)
Image Resources for Theater
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Internet Broadway DatabaseIBDB (Internet Broadway Database) archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
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Carthalia: Theatres on PostcardsA postcard collection of theatres and concert halls worldwide.
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Bridgeman EducationA growing database of over 3,000,000 digital images from museums, galleries, private collections and contemporary artists all copyright cleared for educational use.
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Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939From the Library of Congress, a presentation that includes over 13,000 images of stage and costume designs, still photographs, posters, and scripts.
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Music Online: Opera in Video (Alexander Street Press)500 hours of opera performances through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. (U-M Only)
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Theatre DatabaseFrom the Czech Republic, a database focusing on theatre architecture of the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Poland. Search by architect, location, etc.
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Virtual Study: Database of the Theatre Institute, Czech RepublicHosted by the Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague, the database offers access to images of stage production, scenography, costume, etc.
Image Resources for Film
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American Memory Collection - Motion Picture & Television Reading RoomLibrary of Congress Collections of archival film offers lists of videotapes highlighting American history. available for order. Scroll down to see the collections.
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Film PostersYou can search for images of movie posters -- you won't get really big images, but you'll see the posters for film and stage.
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Jazz on the ScreenFrom the Library of Congress, a searchable filmography that documents the work of some 1,000 major jazz and blues figures in over 16,000 cinema, television and video productions.
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National Film Preservation Board Television ResourcesA comprehensive list of television sites maintained by the National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress.
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Vanderbilt University Television News ArchiveIncludes brief summaries of nightly news programs broadcast by the national television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) since August 5, 1968, along with regularly scheduled newscasts from CNN (since 1995) and Fox News (late 2000s).
Image Resources for Music
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The E. Azalia Hackley Sheet Music CollectionThe Detroit Public Library collection of sheet music from the late 18th century to 1922 documenting contributions of Blacks to the performing arts.
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American Sheet Music Collection from Duke UniversityThe Historic American Sheet Music Project provides access to digital images of 3,042 pieces from the Duke University collection, published in the United States between 1850 and 1920.
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IN Harmony: Sheet Music from IndianaSheet music collections from Indiana University, Indiana State Museum, Indiana Historical Society, and the Indiana State Library.
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Inventions of Note: Sheet Music Collection (MIT)A small collection, but all music has to do with inventions (telephone, radio, automobile, airplane, etc.).
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The Levy Sheet Music CollectionThe Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music (Johns Hopkins University) consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music.
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Maine Music BoxOver 22,000 works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Maine collections.
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Music for the Nation: American Sheet MusicA part of the American Memory Project (Library of Congress), includes over 47,000 pieces.
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NYPL Digital GalleryOver 700,000 images from the NY Public Library's image collection.
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Francis G. Spencer Collection of American Popular Sheet MusicFrom the Baylor University Collections, the Spencer Colleciton contains approximately 30,000 titles from the 18th through the early 20th century.
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Charles Templeton Sheet Music CollectionNearly 22,000 pieces of sheet music dating back to 1865, including examples of Blues, Minstrels, Irving Berlin, movie tunes and show tunes, etc. from Mississippi State University.
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UCLA Archive of Popular American MusicA research collection covering the history of popular music in the United States from 1790 to the present.
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U-M Music Library Sheet Music ListMany other sheet music collections are listed on this guide.
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Yiddish Sheet Music Collection, Brown Universitybout 2000 pieces from highlighting the Yiddish-language musical stage, including photographs of performers, composers and musical productions.
Last Updated: Nov 22, 2025 3:40 PM
Subjects: Arts