Finding Images

Image collections focused on Islamic Art and Architecture

The Gottscho-Schleisner Collection is comprised of over 29,000 images primarily of architectural subjects, including interiors and exteriors of homes, stores, offices, factories, historic buildings, and other structures. Subjects are concentrated chiefly in the northeastern United States, especially the New York City area, and Florida.

The Architecture, Design, and Engineering category covers about 40,000 drawings (described in more than 3,900 catalog records), spanning 1600 to 1989, with most dating between 1880 and 1940. The designs are primarily for sites and structures in the U.S. (especially Washington, D.C.), as well as Europe and Mexico. American architects and architectural firms created most of the images. Building types range from the United States Capitol and the Library of Congress to private residences and hamburger restaurants.

Includes plans as well as photographs of buildings and monuments.

The Aga Khan Visual Archive (AKVA) consists of over 120,000 slides and digital images of architecture, urbanism, and the built environment in the Islamic world, donated by students, scholars, and architectural firms. The images span a 30-year period and document historic and contemporary sites in the Islamic world.

This is a database of images that you may use for your research. Plans and elevations are often included. Please be aware that the research presented in the data entries are sometimes out of date in HABS.