The New York Public Library's Image Gate

January 15, 2003 10:41 PM

The New York Public Library's Image Gate is currently in Beta. However 80,000 images so far out of 600,000 isn't too shabby. Of remarkable interest are the collections (also some here) they have put up so far for your browsing pleasure. Anna Atkins cyanotypes are beautiful, and the Art of the Cigarette Card is joyously quirky. Be sure to check back in 2004 when its all done.
posted by Stan Chin (25 comments total)

Great post, interesting stuff. Was a little thrown by your overuse of the phrase "so far"; otherwise, very cool!
posted by jonson at 10:44 PM on January 15, 2003

So far, the most compelling cigarette card is the image of this Finnish airplane's markings.

Great link so far!
posted by hama7 at 10:54 PM on January 15, 2003

I've been randomly browsing through the site all day, typing in random keywords. Here's some neat ones:

The detroit company postcards: Used postcards are fun to read. I liked this one. But dammit people, learn penmanship so future generations can figure out what you're saying on your postcards.

Ladies dress shoes are fabulous!

Pile of Dead Prairie dogs
posted by Stan Chin at 11:33 PM on January 15, 2003

Cool site. Does it even conform to the NYPL's own style guide, though? Most of the page is XHTML that doesn't validate, with a frame inside the page. On top of that, it's a mixture of tables and divs.
posted by tomorama at 11:36 PM on January 15, 2003

Excellent link, Stan. Best graphics site I've seen this year (so far).

As for the dead prairie dogs: oh, the humanity!
posted by LeLiLo at 1:31 AM on January 16, 2003

This is a really addictive site.

Odd though, I linked to the Finnish plane earlier, and now the link has changed.
posted by hama7 at 1:32 AM on January 16, 2003

Fantaastic! (So far.) Thanks, Stan.

This project is funded by generous support from The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation.

Hmm. Tastes like wonderchicken.
posted by Dick Paris at 1:58 AM on January 16, 2003

Finland was Germany's ally from 1941 to 1944.
posted by flowerdale at 2:16 AM on January 16, 2003

Finland was Germany's ally from 1941 to 1944.

[The current Finnish flag, and the airplane again. Joseph Beuys based practically his entire career on things like this, not to derail..]

posted by hama7 at 2:53 AM on January 16, 2003

I hope Mayor Bloomberg doesn't know about the tobacco card collection! The New York Public Library is, after all, public space. We wouldn't wouldn't want to show the city supporting such a terrible vice, especially since it'll be all but illegal in a couple of months.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:11 AM on January 16, 2003

Be sure to check back in 2004 when its all done.

Great, so now I have a double post to look forward to next year.

Sigh.
posted by warhol at 5:00 AM on January 16, 2003

From the Origins of the swastika flag page:

Swastikas were used in the air force signs of Finland and of Latvia from their independence following World War One and until the 1940's. The use of swastikas by the Finnish in their war of 1941-1944 against the Soviet Union, had therefore nothing to do with their alliance with Germany at the time.

posted by SealWyf at 6:28 AM on January 16, 2003

The Alphabet of Sports images are wonderful. I'm planning on visiting the NYPL sometime early this spring; been planning to ever since hearing about their menu collection. This just seals the deal.
posted by iconomy at 6:34 AM on January 16, 2003

I have to agree -- this is the one of the greatest links ever.
posted by tweebiscuit at 6:42 AM on January 16, 2003

Carrie Bickner, who runs the show over there, gave us a peek at the site during the Web Design World conference in Boston a couple of months ago. I want to design entire sites around some of the images. Incredible stuff.
posted by jpoulos at 7:11 AM on January 16, 2003

Personally, I like the tobacco card about classical conditioning. As if they really wanted to teach smokers about it...
posted by toothless joe at 8:20 AM on January 16, 2003

"What? That Swastika? That has nothing to do with our alliance to Germany! (quick Fritz, hide the lederhosen!)"

That is all.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:29 AM on January 16, 2003

metatalk
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:36 AM on January 16, 2003

interesting. i always thought that i grew up around chattanooga, but i guess i was wrong.

it's chattanoog-o.
or maybe just chattanoog.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:43 AM on January 16, 2003

grabbingsand, hey! chattanoogan here.

The chattanoog-o image is what appears to be the hunter museum. There are also some chattanooga images at the library of congress.
posted by mkelley at 10:35 AM on January 16, 2003

The Alphabet of Sports images are wonderful.

Where are they?

(There were too many results when I searched for "sports," only one result when I searched for "alphabet," and none when I searched for "alphabet of sports.")
posted by kirkaracha at 1:06 PM on January 16, 2003

can i have this guy as my doctor ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:12 PM on January 16, 2003

Here they are, kirkaracha - part of the tobacco card collection.
posted by iconomy at 4:42 PM on January 16, 2003

From the Origins of the swastika flag page:

Thanks, SealWyf.

This NYPL link is quite fantastic. A great source.
posted by hama7 at 7:25 PM on January 16, 2003

SealWyf, thank you.
posted by flowerdale at 2:05 AM on January 17, 2003