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Design Studies

Image Databases

We subscribe to many Image Databases. A selection is shown below.

See Images for Designers and Art Researchers Research Guide for an extensive listing of image resources, plus guidance on citing images.  

Other Image Sources

  • The famed New York Public Library Picture Collection is located at the Schwarzman Building on Bryant Park. The New School students can get a NYPL library card to borrow cataloged and mounted pictures from cited sources.
  • Illustrated books can be found throughout our collections. Search the library catalog, Books & More.  View the Physical Images page of the Images for Designers and Art Researchers for search tips.
  • Editorial and advertising images can be found by browsing recent periodicals.  Find specific images by searching in indexes.  Back issue periodicals can be requested from offsite.   

Fair Use

The four factors used to determine whether fair use applies are:

  • the purpose and character of your use
  • the nature of the copyrighted work
  • the amount and substantiality of the portion taken, and
  • the effect of the use upon the potential market.

Resources for Fair Use of Art Images


Resources for Faculty


Resources for Documentary Filmmakers

Copyright for Your Own Work

Did you know that anyone can copyright their creative work?  You can do it online at copyright.gov.  You can register multiple works under the same copyright and revise the works after they are registered.  

Questions?  Ask Us, contact Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, or refer to the resources below: