Archives of American Art: Ultimate Gold Mine in Culture Studies

I like to write about unsung heroes in the art world. They’re inconspicuous for lots of reasons. I’ve written about young, undiscovered artists such as Henri-Paul Broyard and Angela Lorenz, who makes artist’s books, a delicious medium that’s literary, visual, hand-crafted, and mostly unknown, except to connoisseurs. I love writing about museums in America’s heartland, where the chattering snoots goeth not.

Then there are places that aren’t obvious but very much foundational to the art-history field. Today I’m writing about archives, specifically the Archives of American Art (AAA). It’s a tiny part of the Smithsonian, but it’s essential to original-source research. Owning 20 million documents and telling an infinity of stories, the AAA is the ultimate trove for exploring not only American art but American culture. It’s the world’s biggest and most far-reaching archive of American visual culture.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I like to write about unsung heroes in the art world. They’re inconspicuous for lots of reasons. I’ve written about young, undiscovered artists such as Henri-Paul Broyard and Angela Lorenz, who makes artist’s books, a delicious medium that’s literary, visual, hand-crafted, and mostly unknown, except to connoisseurs. I love writing about museums in America’s heartland, where the chattering snoots goeth not.

Then there are places that aren’t obvious but very much foundational to the art-history field. Today I’m writing about archives, specifically the Archives of American Art (AAA). It’s a tiny part of the Smithsonian, but it’s essential to original-source research. Owning 20 million documents and telling an infinity of stories, the AAA is the ultimate trove for exploring not only American art but American culture. It’s the world’s biggest and most far-reaching archive of American visual culture.