Research Guides: ARCH 492/592: Environmental Controls Systems II: Finding Images

Finding Images

Images of an architect's work can often be found in print books and periodicals. It's worth taking the time to browse through relevant literature to find illustrations.

You can also conduct an Advanced Search in LibrarySearch to add the term "pictorial works" to your search. For example, you can search for "brutalism" AND "pictorial works." Your search results should only include resources that include illustrations. Of course you will find illustrations in resources not assigned the "pictorial works" subject heading, but this is a strategy for narrowing searches that are yielding too many results.

Recommended Resources

Search these databases with keywords like architects, building names, styles, and locations.

Building Oregon This link opens in a new window
Digital collection developed and maintained by the the UO Libraries, provides access to over 20,000 images and documents about the built environment of the Pacific Northwest with emphasis on Oregon.
Art and Architecture Images Collection This link opens in a new window
Digital images of art, architecture, and other cultural objects acquired for use by the University of Oregon community.
ARTstor This link opens in a new window
Search over one million digital images in the fields of the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences.
As of August 1, 2024 the former Artstor website is now completely incorporated into JSTOR. All content is now located there.

The listed recommended resources usually provide reliable information along with images. For instance, Artstor displays the image source information next to an image of the building:

Image Resources Online

archINFORM
This database for international architecture, originally emerging from records of interesting building projects from architecture students, has meanwhile become the largest online-database about worldwide architects and buildings from past to present. archINFORM includes information over more than 81000 built and unrealized projects from various architects and planners.
SkyscraperPage
Covers over 112,000 structures with over 60,000 drawings in nearly 7,000 cities.
Wikimedia Commons
Large collection of public domain and Creative Commons images, sounds, maps, and other media.

Finding Plans and Maps

Fire insurance maps online (FIMo) This link opens in a new window
The world’s largest online digital collection of color fire insurance maps, real estate atlases, and similar land use maps for North America. Geographic coverage includes Oregon and Washington, and publishers include Sanborn, Nirenstein's National Realty Map Co., Baist, Kroll, and more.
Digital Sanborn maps 1867-1970 This link opens in a new window
Large-scale, detailed, black & white maps of 177 Oregon towns and cities, as well as municipalities in California, Washington, and Idaho
Originally created for fire insurance purposes, Sanborn maps have become a valuable tool for studying the history, growth, and development of cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Users can pan and zoom as well as download PDF versions of each sheet. The MAP Library also has paper versions of many of these maps.