LibGuides: ARHI.2030: History of Art: Prehistoric to Medieval: Museum Collections Available Online

Image Collections

Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library
A unique and comprehensive collection of art masterpieces of all varieties: historical, European, Asian, American, and more. This site is a part of UML's Credo Reference database and includes background information on each image.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, (LACMA)
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Rijksmuseum
Museum of the Netherlands
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History pairs essays and works of art with chronologies, telling the story of art and global culture through the Museum’s collection.
The British Museum
Google Arts and Culture
Fogg Art Museum
In Cambridge, MA. Try to visit.
Museum of Fine Arts
In Boston. Try to visit.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Addison Gallery of American Art
Located in Andover, MA.
Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse Sets
Items in public domain, CC0, or copyright free from the LoC collections. Each image leads to a themed collection. Some may also be no attribution required, check the individual image.
Getty Open Content Program
Smithsonian Institute Archives of American Art

Why Does it Matter?

Why should you try to see works of art in physical space rather than just digitally? The scale and impact of objects can only be experienced in personal contact with them. Just as being in the company of a person has an impact completely distinct and more powerful than seeing that person on a screen, being in the presence of works of art allows the objects to communicate in both overt and subliminal ways not available digitally.

Or, you could just do it for pleasure, to use your senses.