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Civil War Era Studies: Civil War Era Art

Artwork Databases

Check out some of these databases to look for artwork

Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera 

Provides a vivid visual history of a nation in crisis. Thousands of dramatic images from the fields of battle, politics, and general society allow researchers to experience the events of the war that tested and defined America.

American Civil War Collection 

Provides access to over 13,500 works published between 1860 and 1922 including broadsides, lithographs, maps, books, pamphlets, photographs, political cartoons, stereographs, and more from the American Antiquarian Society. The collection covers cultural, economic, military, political, and social aspects of the Civil War and beyond into the critical postwar period, a time in which modern interpretations of the conflict began to take shape.

ARTstor

A digital collection of art images and descriptive information covering art, architecture and archaeology. Includes unique software tools to enable active use of the collections. To download images, you need to create an Artstor account.

Illustrated Civil War Newspapers & Magazines 

Provides access to HarpWeek’s collection of over 40 original 19th century newspapers and magazines published during the American Civil War period. Browse publications or search by date or topic. Includes 16 campaign newspapers and rare periodicals from Confederate, Union, Abolitionist and British presses. View news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature, advertisements.

Library of Congress

Library of Congress has a wide array of resources and artifacts of the civil war online.

Civil War Era Artwork in Special Collections

Special Collections has a variety of Civil War art in different media. Some can be found on GETTDigital, while others can be only found in Special Collections.

Civil War Era Photography on GettDigital

Civil War Era Lithographs on GettDigital

Civil War Era Paintings on GettDigital

Civil War Era Political Cartoons on GettDigital

Check out the Special Collections Civil War Era Collection LibGuide