Art History

A Primary Source refers to any type of documentation that is original to a person or an event.  Types of primary sources include diaries, letters, or notebooks.  Artwork is also considered a primary source.  Primary sources can be found in a variety of formats within the library's collections, as well as in archival collections, or on the Internet.  Here is a handy list of the different types of primary sources: 

• Artwork (painting, sculpture, photography, performance piece, etc.)
• Artist Statements
• Interviews
• Diaries/Journals/Notebooks
• Recordings (visual and audio)
• Speeches
• Books and articles (published during the specific time period being examined)
• Ephemera (pamphlets, buttons, fliers)
• Newspapers
• Pictures
• Television shows, paintings, plays, and other artistic media

Image: Helen Torr Dove and Arthur Dove diary, 1936. Arthur and Helen Torr Dove papers, 1905-1975, 1920-1946. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Secondary sources provide an analysis of original events or documents and can be in a variety of formats, including books, articles, and documentary films.  Secondary sources use primary sources and other research to provide context and analysis, and/or interpretation.  Here is a handy list of the different types of secondary sources in art history research: 

Quick Start:

Use the subject heading for exhibition catalogs: su:Exhibition catalogs with "AND" to  build specific search strings that look for catalogs on a particular topic.