Of course we all know about the riches of the written word awaiting us at the Library. But here in New York, the librarians have long known the value of a good picture as well, and since 1914 The NYPL Picture Collection has provided inspiration and visual information for a broad range of users—artists, illustrators, publishers, fashion designers, and more. In fact, one Design by the Book artist told me about her love for it for her own work!

The Picture Collection makes available for checkout thousands and thousands of images of innumerable subjects. But even if you are too far away to use it, you are still in luck because the NYPL Digital Gallery provides free access online to over 640,000 images digitized from the Library’s vast collections. From vintage posters to historical maps, from fabric samples to old greeting cards, it has something for everyone. And collection guides act as helpful discovery tools, if you don’t feel like browsing with complete abandon (as I usually do). Today’s images are just a few of my absolute favorites. Each image links to its version in the Digital Gallery, where you’ll find full information on its source. I hope that you find things you love in the Library’s Digital Gallery or Picture Collection too!

I’ve had such a fun time here this week, sharing what I love about NYPL. Thank you, Grace, for hosting me; and thank you all for reading along. Be sure to say hello if you come into NYPL!

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