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Visual Resources Collection

student in a classroom

Department Overview

The Art and Art History Visual Resources Collections provides Swarthmore's faculty, staff, and students with access to images and image databases of varied art and artifacts.  Our image collections consist of more than 250,000 images representing diverse cultures and historical periods. The Visual Resources' image collection, along with countless other images, can be accessed by current faculty, students, and staff through ARTstor.

Oxford's The Grove Dictionary of Art is also available to members of the Swarthmore College community, Grove Art Online is the foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, covering both Western and non-Western art. First published as the landmark 34-volume Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner, the content of Grove Art encompasses all aspects of visual culture. It features articles about topics as varied as Fauvism and Frida Kahlo, bibliographies for further research, and thousands of searchable images made available through Oxford's partnerships with museums, galleries, and other outstanding arts organizations. Grove Art is a living resource, with scholars and specialists from around the world continually reviewing and updating existing content and contributing new articles.

The Getty Union List of Artist Names is a useful resource for students researching and referencing artists in scholarly work. It is often used for cataloging and research, it provides access to information about art, architecture, and material culture.

Visual Resources Collections
Beardsley 214
610-328-8444
Stacy Bomento, Visual Resources Curator