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Image Research Guide

Use this guide to find various resources for your image research and scholarship in the visual arts.

Image Databases

The Reed Library provides faculty and students with access to high-resolution images through JSTOR and the Reed Digital Collections (RDC). However, the use of these images is subject to license terms and conditions that may restrict how they can be used. While we are free to view, reference, and download the images for academic purposes, we are not permitted to publish them without obtaining the appropriate licenses, permissions, or approval from the copyright owner. Your academic projects, such as presentations and research papers, are unpublished and shared  with your professor, which generally supports a claim of Fair Use. Learn more about Fair Use and Assessment Tools here.

Use the buttons below to start finding high-resolution images:

Searching Tips

Books are often the only source to find high-resolution images. Once you locate the book and image you need, make a digitization appointment below to scan the image at the Visual Resources Center.


You can also use the search strategies below to help locate images in the Library Catalog.

Search for 'illus' as a keyword (include the quote marks around the keyword) or select Advanced Search, filter by Subject Term, and search for pictorials or illustrations.

Article databases allow you to limit your search to articles containing images or to sort your search results to highlight articles containing images.

Search for articles containing images in Humanities International Complete. Enter your search terms, type 'illustration', and select the type of image you're looking for in the bottom right.