industrial artifacts review

- industrial links -

events Few and far between, but memorable when they do take place!
TIME archive An incredible resource for technological historians. Searchable archive of every article printed since 1923. No photos, but every cover is online.
LIFE photo archive hosted by Google  Over 2 million photographs from the archives of LIFE magazine, dating from the 1860s to the 1970s. Final goal: 10 million pics online. Generous enlargements.
flickr The best photo-sharing web site with an immense searchable database of images. An excellent way to share images and make new contacts.
The Commons  A subset of Flickr that showcases archival photo collections. Visitors are invited to contribute information in the form of comments. Contributors include the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress.
Google Patent Search A free Google function that allows full-text searches of over 7 million online US design and utility patents and generates thumbnails of the results. Pdf results only. TIFFs available from US Patent web site (see below).
U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office
Millions of utility and design patents. Full-text searches only possible from 1976 on. The rest are image files. Use Google Patent Search (see above), then return to download the files as large TIFFs.
American Heritage of
Invention & Technology
Searchable text for almost every issue of this magazine from 1985 to the present. Photos and illustrations not included. Still a great resource for technology enthusiasts.

American Memory Part of the American Library of Congress web site. A staggering collection of everything from advertising ephemera to panoramic photos and sound recording. All free, all public domain.
Internet Archive Text Archive Free trade lit to download or view. All public domain - no restrictions. Over 2,000,000 items. All searchable pdfs or text documents, or viewable online as Flip Book files.
Internet Archive Moving Image Archive Over 275,000 free films to download or view without restrictions. Many excellent training and technical flicks as well as promotional material and commercials.
Flightglobal Fantastic resource for fans of aviation, both modern and historical. Archive includes digital, searchable pdf's of Flight magazine from 1909-2005.

New York Public Library Digital Gallery

Over 700,000 free digital images, many dealing with technological subjects like locomotives, automobiles and factories. Includes about 600 sets of cigarette cards and 70 automotive manufacturers' catalogs from 1909.

1933-34 World's Fair Collection The University of Chicago Library's 'Century of Progress' Collection. 350 superbly digitized pamphlets and brochures from the Fair in pdf form.
Federal Archives
of Germany
More than 100,000 pictures from 1919 to the present. Relatively small images with prominent watermarks, but still worth a look.
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