Identifying Period Styles for Architecture and Interiors : Additional Online Sources

Use the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History  to browse art and material culture through millennia.

Linked from the timeline, or independently searchable, are thematic essays and individual works of art.  You also may find photos for recreated period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY).

Major museums sometimes recreate period rooms on-site that display curated collections of furniture and objects appropriate to the designated time/place.  Check museum websites for photos or virtual exhibits.  Some examples: 

Historical house museums, like curated period rooms, may contain furnishings and objects not original to the site.  Look especially for sites recreated based on authoritative research.  Some examples:

• Monticello
• Colonial Williamsburg

To find more, check websites for national or local historical preservation organizations, such as

• National Trust (UK)
• National Park Service (USA)
     e.g. Hampton National Historic Site, Maryland

To find others by time period, try web searching for sites associated with well-known personages in your desired period:

• Emily Dickinson Museum (19th century)
• Jane Austin House (18th-19th century)
• Rubens House (17th century)
• Albrecht Durer House (16th century)

Major monuments of architecture/design history may have photos and information on dedicated websites:

• The Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
• Syon Park with interior by Robert Adam

Search for information about period styles.