Online Tutorial & Search Tips
Prints in the Parlor – an AAS Online Resource
To date (1 February 2011) 1431 illustrated records of 2850 anticipated items have images attached to their records. Prints in the Parlor is 50% complete. Check back often as we are frequently adding to the resource.
What does 'Prints in the Parlor' mean?
Prints in the Parlor is an ongoing-project funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities where AAS staff catalog and make available images which would have appeared in the American Parlor from the years 1820-1876.1. This includes large, separately published single-sheet engravings as well as engravings from gift books and annuals. Using the AAS Voyager Catalog, we have decided to make access to these images via a hyperlink inside the record.
How do I view the images?
There are two ways to currently view images. If there is a specific image you are looking for, we invite you to enter by way of the AAS Online catalog and search using the term “Prints in the Parlor Digital Image” in addition to your specific search query, title, alternate title, engraver, keyword or subject heading.
You may also browse our selection of image galleries to generate ideas for your own research.
Details of the Project
- Each image in Prints in the Parlor – whether it is a single, separate engraving, or it appears in a book of 12 engravings – is being individually cataloged and given its own online record. (For example, Fischer’s drawing room scrap-book of 1833 has 36 illustrations; every one has a separate record) To view a list of the illustrations contained within a single volume, click on the ‘Parent Record’ to see all the images in that volume
- If there was a change in the method of engraving (mezzotint v. engraving, stipple engraving v. engraving), size, or engraver, the image was given a new record
- One of the goals of Prints in the Parlor was not to digitize and make available individual volumes, but show how plates were used in different places, books, with different text, titles, audience and even decades
- When a plate was reused with the same title, and no variation was made, it was noted in the record but digitized only once
- When a title-variant of a plate was found, the additional image(s) were listed in chronological order. The exception to this is if/when it the earliest version appeared without a title. In such cases, the version with a title was listed first in the record, and at the top of the linked page.
What this resource is:
What this resource is not:
- access to records, images and descriptions of engravings
- an electronic index of imagery using the AAS Online Catalog as a platform to launch and organize the cataloger-created metadata
- reference-sized digital photographs of all illustrations which fall under the scope of the project
- access to PDF text when, it describes the plate
- a surrogate of the book
- access to OCR-ed versions of the text
- high-resolution imagery suitable for publication
- A digital library of the full-text with images (à la Google Books) for gift books
- a comprehensive resource for all AAS digitized and scanned collections
Screen shots and a virtual walk-through of the project
If you search for “Prints in the Parlor Digital Image” as a phrase with “Keyword anywhere” in the Guided Search page, you will see all of the items which currently have an image url attached to them. Using one or both of the other two search boxes, you may enter keyword(s), assigned subject headings, engraver, artist, alternate image title, volume title, place and/or date to generate results.
For instance, if you search for “Prints in the Parlor Digital Image” as a keyword anywhere in addition to “American Revolution” you will see that several records are displayed.
Click here to view the results of the search
Three records are for three separately published engravings and one is for a book illustration (as of 2/1/11). 2.
If you click on the number (#) of the record you are interested in, then on the hyperlink under “Linked resources” which is titled “Prints in the Parlor Digital Image” you will be taken to a separate page where you can view and enlarge the image, as well as open the catalog record to review the bibliographic data.
Step: Corresponding screen capture: 1. Open the AAS Online Catalog and click on 'Guided Search' 2. Type in "Prints in the Parlor Digital Image" with "all of these" and "Keyword Anywhere" 3. Add your desired keyword, title, author, engraver, publication date, book title, etc. [note: this sample follows the 'American Revolution' example and click "Search"
4. Click on the record number you are interested in 5. Scroll down to the "Linked Resources" field which is labeled "Prints in the Parlor Digital Image" 6. Click on the link; this takes you to a separate page where you can view the image and open the catalog record for reviewing purposes 7. Please note: your search will not be saved. To get back into the online catalog, you will have to back arrow to see your search statement and results again.
