[Iran] [Art] Qajar School Lovers in Embrace gouache painting on paper, nineteenth century, represents the courtly aesthetic, erotic refinement, and dynastic visual language that defined Persian painting under Qajar rule. The composition situates a princely male figure and his adorned companion in intimate embrace, reinforcing themes of aristocratic leisure, romanticized.....
[Biker Subculture][Harley Davidson] Photograph archive of the Southern Eagles Motorcycle Club and its association with Cable’s Harley-Davidson dealership in Winston-Salem, North Carolina between 1958 and 1968. The images show members, public events, and recreational activities of a regional motorcycle club during a period when organized riding groups expanded across the.....
Henri Matisse. Autograph Letter Signed. One-page handwritten letter, written entirely in Matisse’s hand and signed “H. Matisse,” dated November 2, 1949, in French. Written late in his career, when he was internationally acknowledged as one of the greatest living artists of the twentieth century, the letter offers an unusually candid.....
[Fashion][Art Deco] Art–Goût–Beauté. 1920s illustrated fashion periodicals emblematic of Parisian haute couture during the interwar decade when French designers were reaching international dominance in luxury fashion. Published in Paris from 1920 to 1933, the magazine disseminated the seasonal creations of leading couture houses to an elite readership. Art–Goût–Beauté integrated Art.....
[Harley Davidson Motorcycle] Southern Eagles Motorcycle Club photographic archive documenting Harley Davidson riders and dealership culture in Winston Salem, North Carolina during the 1960s. The photographs record club gatherings, races, dealership events, and recreational rides during a decade when motorcycle clubs expanded rapidly across the United States and became visible.....
[Harley Davidson Motorcycle] Southern Eagles Motorcycle Club photograph archive documenting Harley Davidson riders connected with the Cable dealership in Winston Salem, North Carolina between 1958 and 1968. The photographs illustrate the growth of organized motorcycle clubs, dealership sponsorship, and competitive racing culture during the expansion of recreational motorcycling in postwar.....
[Cross-Dressing][Women Military] Joan of Arc engraving archive depicting the French military leader and martyr Jeanne d’Arc in iconic images of battle, persecution, and faith, ca. 1770-1850s. The prints focus on Joan’s leadership during the Hundred Years’ War and on the gender-bending aspects of her identity and dress that contributed to.....
[Biker Subculture] Photo archive of a Harley Davidson motorcycle club active in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during the 1950s and 1960s, a formative period of postwar American motorcycle club culture. The images capture young riders in social gatherings, club events, and motorcycle displays as organized biker groups expanded across the United.....
[African-American Art][Harlem Renaissance] Harmon Foundation Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists, 1931, a pivotal institutional public recognition of Black visual art during the Harlem Renaissance. Issued for the February 16–28, 1931 exhibition at the Art Center in New York, the catalog represents the final year of the Harmon Foundation’s.....
Napoleon Bonaparte postcard series, late nineteenth to early twentieth century, presents a structured sequence of illustrated scenes depicting specific military, political, and dynastic events that defined the Napoleonic era and reshaped European power between 1796 and 1815. The cards isolate decisive moments such as the Egyptian campaign, the Battle of.....
Rodin, Auguste. Father of modern sculpture. Autograph Letter Signed, 27 May 1910, a document from the mature career of the sculptor widely regarded as a foundational figure in modern sculpture and a central presence in late nineteenth and early twentieth century European art. Written at a moment when Rodin’s international.....
Flandin, Eugène. Voyage en Perse… Perse Moderne Planches documents the architecture, cities, and landscapes of nineteenth century Iran through the drawings produced during a French archaeological and artistic expedition to the region in 1840. French artist Eugène Flandin traveled to Iran with architect Pascal Coste as part of a diplomatic.....
Steve Rose's photographic coverage of demonstrations, strike activity, broadcast spaces, and police control in New York City and Washington, D.C., circa 1969–1971, with dissent moving through street assembly, underground and movement media, institutional protest, and municipal enforcement. Rose, active in New York documentary photography during the early 1970s, photographed activists.....
Thulstrup, Thure de. Siege of Atlanta issued in 1888 presents a visual interpretation of one of the decisive military campaigns of the American Civil War. The fall of Atlanta to Union forces under General William T. Sherman in September 1864 marked a major turning point in the conflict and helped.....
The Yacht “Fleetwing” of N.Y. 212 Tons. Competitor in the Great Ocean Yacht Race, from New York to Cowes, Dec. 1866. Making the run in 14 days 6 hours mean-time, an original color lithograph issued by Currier and Ives documenting one of the earliest celebrated transatlantic yacht competitions of the.....
Sacrifice for Freedom! This World Cannot Exist Half Slave and Half Free by John Philip Falter appeared in 1942 as part of the United States government’s wartime propaganda campaign designed to mobilize public support for the global struggle against fascism. Produced by the Office of Facts and Figures early in.....
Hand painted Persian textile depicting Shah Abbas I, nineteenth century, a monumental example of Qajar period revivalist visual culture that reinterprets Safavid imperial iconography to articulate Persian kingship, martial virtue, and historical memory. Centered on one of the most mythologized rulers in Iranian history, the composition presents a continuous figural.....
Adams, Ansel. Photographs of the Southwest. 1976 volume presenting a selection of Ansel Adams’ landscape photographs created between 1928 and 1968 across the American Southwest, inscribed and signed by the photographer. Adams emerged as one of the most influential figures in twentieth century American photography and environmental advocacy, widely recognized.....
Japanese woodblock print 19th century depicts samurai martial practice within a domestic or staged setting, providing visual evidence of sword training traditions that informed later codifications of kendo, the discipline derived from earlier samurai combat techniques. The composition places a woman in formal kimono in the foreground while a samurai.....
Vernacular fashion illustration archive, circa 1920s–1950s, documents the evolution of women’s dress and stylistic ideals across early and mid-twentieth-century design, with emphasis on silhouette, material, and aspirational presentation. The drawings capture shifts from the elongated, androgynous forms associated with 1920s and 1930s fashion to the structured tailoring and fitted garments.....
Audubon, John James. Great American White Egret, Plate 370, circa 1840–1844 hand colored print from the octavo edition of The Birds of America, documenting nineteenth century American natural history and scientific illustration. Produced as part of Audubon’s systematic effort to record North American bird species, the plate reflects the integration.....
Fashion design archive. 1950s–1960s. This group documents mid-century women’s fashion design practice through a sustained body of original sketches and working notes, showing how garments were conceived, annotated, and prepared for construction during a period of stylistic transition in American dress. The material provides direct evidence of design thinking at.....
Fashion design archive, likely 1950s to 1960s, documenting women’s garment design during the mid-century through original working sketches that preserve both style development and the practical language of dressmaking. The archive is strongest as evidence of how women’s fashion was conceived on paper before production, with repeated attention to silhouette.....
Evans, C. S. The Sleeping Beauty, 1920, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, one of the most influential illustrators associated with the late nineteenth and early twentieth century revival of illustrated fairy tale literature in Britain. Rackham’s work helped define the visual culture of children’s literature during the period often called the.....
Tintype portrait of African American woman, circa late 1860s, documents Black female self-presentation during the Reconstruction era following the abolition of slavery in 1865. The image places the sitter within the early years of legal freedom for formerly enslaved people, when photography became an accessible medium for recording identity, status.....
