A guide to researching topics at the intersection of visual art and gender. Includes tips for researching artists, as well as a list of sample artists working in different media.
ArchiveGrid includes over 5 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
WorldCat is a database of more than 1 billion records of books and other materials held in more than 10,000 academic, public, special and national libraries around the world. You can use the Advanced Search option to limit your search to “Archival Materials.”
Includes information about artists in the United Kingdong. Scroll down to find the "Art" section and look for the Women's Art Library (MAKE) collection and the Women of Colour Index 1985-1995 (WOCI).
Smithsonian Archives of American ArtDedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America. Holdings include more than 20 million letters, diaries and scrapbooks of artists, dealers, and collectors; manuscripts of critics and scholars; business and financial records of museums, galleries, schools, and associations; photographs of art world figures and events; sketches and sketchbooks; rare printed material; film, audio and video recordings; and the largest collection of oral histories anywhere on the subject of art.
The National Archives (UK)This guide covers records related to art and artists for the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. It focuses on how to find central government records held by The National Archives but also lists other useful archives.
Primary Sources for Gender Studies
Defining Gender, 1450-1910Searchable full-text of advice literature covering household management, education, leisure, shoppping, sexuality, consumption and sport.
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Black Women WritersBlack Women Writers presents 100,000 pages of literature and essays on feminist issues, written by authors from Africa and the African diaspora. Facing both sexism and racism, Black women needed to create their own identities and movements. The collection documents that effort, presenting the woman’s perspective on the diversity and development of Black people generally, and in particular the works document the evolution of Black feminism.
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Black Women Writers includes fiction, poetry, and essays. Among the authors are Nikki Giovanni, Maryse Condé, Barbara Ransby, Angela Davis, Rhoda Reddock, Margaret Walker, Ama Ata Aidoo, Rosa Guy, Sonia Sanchez, Olive Senior, and Barbara Ransby. Works are in their original languages, although an English translation executed by the original author may be available. Works are reproduced in their entirety and when possible, an image of the original page accompanies the text. The dates of the material range from the 1700s to contemporary pieces.
Everyday Life & Women in AmericaProvides access to primary source material from the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History, Duke University and The New York Public Library. Includes monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes.