Research Guides: THEA 210W Reading for Performance (Fort): The World of the Play &amp; The Author

Finding books in Library Search

Library of Congress subject headings are a good way to uncover scholarly books that discuss the historical and cultural context surrounding the play you are researching. They can also help you find primary source materials (such as paintings and photographs) that may inspire your production choices.

African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Social conditions
African Americans -- Pictorial works (good for collections of photographs)
African American artists
Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988 (Searches Bearden as a "Author/Creator." There are many published catalogs of his artworks.)

Two-spirit people

In addition to using Library of Congress subject headings like those above, it pays to spend time exploring the library catalog and brainstorming different combinations of search keywords.

Primary Sources: Digital Collections

Documents, photographs and reproductions of artworks can provide a tactile connection with the world you are researching, and they can serve as a source of creative inspiration for your design choices. These are only a few options that you can explore online.

Robert Langmuir African American photograph collection, circa 1840-2000
"The Robert Langmuir African American Photograph Collection provides a composite view of African American history and life from the 1840s to 1980s. With almost 10,000 images ranging in subject matter from road workers and school teachers to professional athletes and artists, the collection accounts for the extraordinary possibilities, as well as the vexing complexities faced by African Americans from the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth century. Most importantly, the collection of photographs presents people of African descent as autonomous subjects, many of whom have left an indelible impact on American history." Rose Library, Emory University.
NYPL Digital Collections
This database contains hundreds of thousands of digitized photographs, films, and documents from the New York Public Library's collections.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
The Library of Congress has digitized millions of items, many of which are presented in curated collections. You can also find materials through a general search in the library catalog.
Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity: Part 1: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940
Access archival material on the social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Materials include microfilm, newsletters, papers, government documents, manuscripts, and more. Includes a rich collection of community newspapers and the Lesbian Herstory Archives.