I seriously doubt I'll ever opt for a Kindle over holding an actual book, and while I think it's interesting that Google is slowly scanning every book ever written to make it available to view online, I'll never forsake the tactile pleasure of turning a page. I can however get behind one benefit of the digital age - inspiring imagery that is only a click away. One amazing, and under the radar source for images online is the New York Public Library. Their Digital Gallery holds over 685,000 images, pulled from the library's enormous collection and includes illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs, and oh so much more. If you happen to find an image you can't live without, you can crop and buy prints, complete with mat and frame, directly from the site, knowing your hard earned money is going to help fund the NYPL. Type in a search word and away you go on a journey through history, courtesy of our local public library. Sure beats the Dewey Decimal System.
Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein on the Terrace at Bilignin, June 13, 1934
Photo by Carl Van Vechten
The Chinese Chippendale room at Badminton House, ca. 1755
"The Pageant of America" collection, Pewter Spoons
Ladies' dress shoes of the nineteenth century by T.Watson Greig (1900)
Top Image: Drawing room chairs with stuffed backs (184-?) by Thomas King, furniture pattern designer
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