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Art, Literature and Music

Collections

Decorated and Decorative Paper Collection
Examples of decorated and decorative papers such as Western marbled paper, paste paper, and Dutch gilt paper produced between the 17th and 19th centuries, from Europe, primarily Germany, France and Italy.
Early Advertising of the West, 1867-1918
Print advertisements published in local magazines, city directories, and theater pamphlets from 1867 to 1918. Themed groupings include health care and hygiene products, liquor, tobacco, machinery, manufacturing, transportation, fashion, food and household goods and local tourism.
Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Collection
Photographs and videos of musical instruments from around the world. The growing collection is housed in the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Division which invites one or more international artists to campus each year to share their musical traditions through teaching and performance.
Fashion Plate Collection
Fashion plates from the 19th and early 20th centuries of women's and men's costume. Drawn from the some of the leading fashion journals of the time, they depict styles and dress from the Empire (1806-1813), Georgian (1806-1836), Regency (1811-1820), Romantic (1825-1850), Victorian (1837-1859), Late Victorian (1860-1900) and Edwardian (1901-1915) periods.
Historical Book Arts Collection
A teaching tool featuring a sampling of materials held in the Special Collections Division focusing on the history of the book and medieval manuscripts from the 11th to the 19th century. The digital collection is comprised of images of binding, printing, papermaking and illustration examples and techniques.
Historical Children's Literature Collection
This database chronicles by example the history of educational practice and reading, and the changing perceptions of gender, race and class and the role of religion in teaching. Both European and American books from the 18th to the 20th c. are represented in this collection.
Katims (Milton) Audio Collection
Milton Katims was the conductor of the Seattle Symphony from 1954 to 1976. This collection contains digitized versions of the audio reels he donated to the University of Washington Music Library.
Korean Literary Collection
Rare literary works for the Between Liberation Space and Time, 1945-1950 exhibition which featured items from the Korean collection of the University of Washington Libraries.
Medieval and Historical Manuscripts
Medieval books and fragments from books typically found in medieval libraries during the periods known as the High Middle Ages (1000–1300 CE) and Late Middle Ages (1300-1500 CE.)
Menus Collection
A selection of historical menus and other graphic materials from restaurants and dining facilities in the Pacific Northwest from 1889 to 2003 including the Space Needle Restaurant, Ivar's Acres of Clams, the Dog House, and cruises aboard the Alaska and Pacific Steam Ship Lines.
Modern Photographers Collection
Images from the work of nationally and internationally renowned local photographers Art Hupy, Ernest Kassowitz, Kyo Koike, Frank Kunishige, Mary Randlett, Don Wallen and others. These photographers were active in the Pacific Northwest community from the late 1920's to the present.
Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Musical scores dating from the 17th through 19th centuries comprised mainly of operas, opera excerpts, and other vocal music.
Napoleonic Period Collection of Political Caricatures
Satirical prints, or caricatures, from the Napoleonic Period, all giving political commentary on events of the period. Fifty of the prints were created by French artists, and thirty-three by English artists.
Pacific Northwest Sheet Music Collection
The Pacific Northwest Sheet Music Collection contains music from and about Washington State, the Pacific Northwest and the University. This collection represents a fraction of the Ashford Sheet Music Collection which was built from a core collection donated by Paul Ashford to the University of Washington in 1959.
Society and Culture Collection
Historical images from Western United States and the Pacific Northwest region covering political and social topics such as women's issues, labor and government, and ethnic groups with special emphasis on the Japanese internment camps in the Northwest during World War II.
Urban Archives Database
Items in this collection focus on communication in public spaces. The database includes materials such as graffiti, public art, advertising, signage, and architectural design.
UW Image Bank
The UW Image Bank is an extensive collection of high-quality images of art, architecture, and cultural and historical materials. The Image Bank includes images of cultural production from diverse world cultures, time periods, sites, and cultural institutions, and covers most major monuments of world art and architectural history. (UW-Restricted collection)
War Poster Collection
A selection of images from the University of Washington Libraries' World War I and World II Poster Collection featuring propaganda posters and broadsides from the United States, Western Europe and the Axis powers.
Women Who Rock Oral History Collection
Women Who Rock brings together scholars, musicians, media-makers, performers, artists, and activists to explore the role of women and popular music in the creation of cultural scenes and social justice movements in the Americas and beyond.
World and Regional Maps, 16th to 19th Centuries
Color examples from the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections Division's Rare Map Collection dating from the 16th to early 20th centuries spanning: the world, Western and Eastern Hemispheres, continents, countries and cities. This collection emphasizes North America, the Pacific Northwest, and exploration in this region from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

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