Electronic Resources for Art Research

American Art

Seattle Art Museum American Art
Selected images from the Seattle Art Museum’s American art collection.

Archives of American Art
The Smithsonian archives provide access to over 16 million documents—including letters, photographs, sketches and more—that offer detailed information on American art and its movements. Many collections are available online.

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Online exhibitions provide access to the many works of art that are a part of the museum’s gallery and traveling shows. These exhibitions are available indefinitely and explore a variety of mediums and artists.

AskArt.com
Provides biographical and bibliographical information on American artists through a search by name feature. Password required for auction information (available only at the SAM Libraries).

National Gallery of Art: American Painting
Drawing from the National Gallery's collection, this site provides a nice historical overview of American painting and links to selected online tours, in-depth studies and a streaming slideshow on some of America's most important painters.

Worcester Art Museum—Early American Paintings and Timeline
Provides a timeline of early American historical events along with paintings of the time. Paintings link to the artist’s page with additional works, if available, and a link to a biography.

National Portrait Gallery
Also part of the Smithsonian, the National Portrait Gallery provides online access to some of its collection. Website tools include a collections search, audio podcasts and the museum’s blog, facetoface.

Amon Carter Museum: An American Collection
A broad spectrum of American art comprises the collection at the Carter Museum. Its holdings include works dating back to the early 19th century.

American Folk Art Museum
Online image gallery highlights works of art from the museum’s collection including early portraits, furniture, sculptures and more. Each image is accompanied by descriptive information about the work, its history and the artist.