InfoGuides: Art History: Find Primary Sources

Primary sources provide first-hand accounts of events, or are documents/artifacts of those events.

These are sources that you will analyze or interpret as part of your research.

Finding Primary Sources

Where do I find primary sources?

Primary sources are often reproduced in books, or digitized and available through libraries or museums directly. Others require visiting a physical archive.

In library catalogs or databases, search with your main topic + the type of source you want (e.g., "michelangelo vasari letters")
- See the bolded terms below for examples of source types

What are examples of primary sources in art history?

letters or correspondence btw. artists, patrons, dealers, etc.	exhibition reviews or catalogs (documenting works shown at an exhibit)
records of auctions, sales, or payments	maps or travelogues
oral histories, memoirs, or autobiographies	paintings, photographs, prints, fashion, furniture, and other original objects

ARTnews
Reports on the art, people, issues, trends, and events shaping the international art world.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Provides genealogists, researchers, and scholars with first-hand accounts and coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Full-text access to 25 Historical Newspaper Titles. Tutorial for Proquest Historical Newspapers database.
NYTimes.com This link opens in a new window
Unlimited access to NYTimes.com and NYT Mobile apps, including Spanish and Chinese editions, which cover a variety of topics through breaking news articles, blogs, videos and interactive features. Includes archives from 1851 to the present (articles from 1923 to 1980 are limited to five per day per user; unlimited access to the archives is available through ProQuest Historical Newspapers). Note: Create or renew your account here: http://mutex.gmu.edu/login?URL=https://ezmyaccount.nytimes.com/grouppass/redir, using their GMU credentials to gain access. All users need to renew your accounts every year. Upon login setup, download any NYT app from the App Store and use same login credentials for unlimited access. Login to NYTimes.com directly from any location.
Tutorial for the NYTimes.com database.
Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to national and international newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Times (London), as well as selective full-text for various U.S regional newspapers. In addition, it offers full-text television and radio news transcripts from ABC News, CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, and National Public Radio. Tutorial for the Newspaper Source Plus database.

See a list of all newspaper sources through Mason Libraries

Primary sources in art history are often reproduced or made digitally available in books or digital collections. Below are a few places you can search, but you might need to do a general internet search to find collections for your specific research area.

Sources & Documents in the History of Art
Book series covering ancient through contemporary art; collects original documents and texts, including contemporaneous writings from other artists or scholars, letters, and more.
Archives of American Art - Collections Search
A portion of materials from the Archives is available digitally, but "Digitization on Demand" is also now available! Includes records and documents related to Mexican-American, Cuban-American, and Hispanic-American artists
Digital Scriptorium
Image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts from a number of international collections.
Making of America
Online collection of primary sources in American history from the 19th century. TIP: Use the "subject browsing" link to find publications related to art and architecture.
American Periodicals Series (APS)
Collection contains digitized images of the original pages of over 1100 American magazines and journals that originated between 1740 and 1940s.

You can also view more guides to History and Primary Source Research to see primary source collections by time period and geographic region.

National Gallery of Art - Library
Major research collection for the arts, including historic exhibition and artist files. Collection strengths are in Western (European) art from the Middle Ages - present, and American art from the Colonial era through the present.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library
Devoted to modern & contemporary painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, video, and emerging art forms. Emphasis is on Hirshhorn’s art collections and on artists featured in the exhibition programs.
American Art & National Portrait Gallery Library
Collection of books, exhibition catalogs, catalogues raisonnés, serials and dissertations is concentrated in the area of American art, history, and biography with supportive materials on European art.
National Museum of Women in the Arts Library and Research Center
The collection is focused on the contributions of women in the visual arts. Includes books and exhibition catalogues, periodicals, multimedia, and artists' books.
The Phillips Collection - Library and Archives
Supports research on materials in the museum's permanent collection, whose highlights include American modernism and contemporary art. Includes books, exhibition catalogs, and art/artist files with articles and exhibition reviews.
Library of Congress
By registering and receiving a reader card you can request Library of Congress materials for research. Holdings include books, ephemera, newspaper articles, digital collections and more.
The Textile Museum at George Washington University
Includes collections of textile art representing five continents and five millennia
Dumbarton Oaks Library
Collects materials to support scholarship in Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and garden and landscape studies.
National Museum of African Art, Warren M. Robbins Library
More than 32,000 volumes covering all aspects of African visual arts.
Smithsonian Art and Artist Files
Exceptional resource for research on emerging regional and local artists; includes ephemera such as exhibition announcements, newspaper and magazine clippings, press releases, brochures, reviews, invitations to gallery shows, illustrations, résumés, artists' statements, small catalogs, and/or reproductions. Covers artists worldwide, but primarily in North America and Africa.
Archives of American Art
Millions of letters, photographs, diaries, oral history interviews, sketches, scrapbooks, business records, and other documents that support the study of the history of the visual arts in America. A portion of materials from the Archives is available digitally, but "Digitization on Demand" is also now available!