Comments on: Victoria & Albert Image Search

Victoria & Albert Image Search

taz — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:32:55 -0800

*Quite too Utterly Utter!* We all know about the Victoria & Albert Museum site, but did you know about the online V&A Access to Images? I didn't, and I've just spent a couple of happy hours poring over it. Type in any search term, and you are likely to get some interesting results. "Woodblock", for example, returns 16 pages, and "fairytale" nets you three pages of interesting 19th century marionettes. Here's somthing amusing to kick you off...

By: fvw

fvw — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:39:26 -0800

Nice, thanks! could you not use tinyurl btw? It prevents extracting info about the link by mouse-overing and for many links tinyurl might well disappear before the linked site does, rendering the link useless for those reading the archives. There's a metatalk thread about this somewhere, but apparantly I have not pleased the google gods

By: eriko

eriko — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:49:46 -0800

The V&A just rocks. Best description ever "It's your British Uncle's Attic -- provided, of course, your British Uncle took over the Empire." It's also huge. Wear good shoes. The musical instrument collection is amazing.

By: sciurus

sciurus — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:50:58 -0800

Hiroshige always makes me feel peaceful. Thanks taz, bookmarked!

By: taz

taz — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 08:05:17 -0800

fvw, the real page url for the first link didn't work in preview (over several tries), so it was tinyurl, or linking straight to the jpg (and I figured someone would yell at me about that!). I think it was just too long for url field.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 08:31:36 -0800

The V&A will definitely be on my agenda next time I get over there (hear, that, o Big Company o' Mine?). But in the meantime, the images are lovely.

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 09:16:38 -0800

Ha! This is great. I bet ya knew I'd love the dancing skeleton, the juggler and the peg-legged violinist. And all the rest, of course. So much to explore. Thanks! (They seem very gracious with their images, too.)

By: scody

scody — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 16:12:28 -0800

Great find from taz, as always. Thanks!

By: fluffycreature

fluffycreature — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 16:53:55 -0800

Oh great. There goes a few hours. Thanks for a great find and sharing it! I have been to the V&A in person, I second the comment on wearing good shoes.

By: taz

taz — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 20:35:37 -0800

fvw was right: that first link appears to have changed now: here's the songsheet cover it refers to. And in case the same happens with the last link, here's the Bovril ad for "beef tea". And regarding "good shoes", fetishists and fashionistas will be happy to know that the query "shoes" returns 10 pages, including this kicky pair of medieval runarounds, and this grim bit of domestic intimacy. And, hey! it looks like the early 18th century was kind of fun.

By: Shane

Shane — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 07:52:35 -0800

Heh, the links change constantly. E.G. my peglegged violinist is currently a silk handbag!

By: taz

taz — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 09:39:40 -0800

omg. The only way to link to anything on this site is by directly linking the image file, evidently. Or maybe those change, too. Here's a test: "Utterly" songsheet. I'll be back.

By: of strange foe

of strange foe — Sat, 04 Sep 2004 12:12:00 -0800

That worked, taz.