This database of old book illustrations is the Good Internet.
February 11, 2020, 2:37pm
So many internet rabbit holes are exercises in impotent rage and/or envy, so it’s a real delight to come upon a method of wasting many hours that’s actually good (or at the very least true neutral). So next time you find yourself elbows deep in the Instagram feed of your college ex’s ex’s influencer sister (as a for instance), take a step back and head over to Old Book Illustrations, a database of, yes, old book illustrations.
They’re searchable by book, author, artist, date and keyword, so there are any numbers of ways to get lost looking at images of say, a hedgehog fight:
Peter Newell
Or Ibsen chasing off Irving and Ingersoll with a recitation of his play:
Oliver Herford
Or a classic Medieval first date:
Gustave Doré
Go forth and waste time!
[h/t Kottke]
