paint brushes and paint

Resources

We provide a rich variety of important research and study resources. The Museums’ libraries and study centers are available to students, scholars, artists, and other museum professionals by appointment.
  • Archives of American Art

    A copy of the unrestricted microfilm collection of the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art is located in the Katharine Hanrahan American Art Study Center at the de Young. It is available to researchers with a specific focus of study by appointment only. Visit the Smithsonian Institutions Archives of American Art for more information, or search their collection catalog.

    Hours
    By appointment only

    Contact
    Lauren Palmor
    Associate Curator, American Art
    lpalmor@famsf.org

    Anshutz painting in Fine Arts Museums American art collection

    Thomas Pollock Anshutz, American (1851–1912). The Ironworkers' Noontime (detail), 1880. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd. 1979.7.4

  • Joan Diehl McCauley Textile Study Center

    The Joan Diehl McCauley Textile Study Center is located at the de Young on the second floor, adjacent to the Textile Gallery, and is available to researchers with a specific focus of study by appointment only. The Textile Study Center supports the educational mission of the Fine Arts Museums through scholarship in textiles and costumes from traditions around the world. The materials comprising the Textile Study Center’s research collection reflect the breadth and diversity of the Museums’ costume and textile arts collection, which contains over 13,000 objects.

    Hours
    By appointment only

    Contact
    Laura L. Camerlengo
    Curator in Charge, Costume and Textile Arts
    lcamerlengo@famsf.org

    person in Joan Diehl McCauley Textile Study Center
  • Katharine Hanrahan American Art Study Center

    The Katharine Hanrahan American Art Study Center is located at the de Young. It is available to researchers with a specific focus of study by appointment only. Resources of the Katharine Hanrahan American Art Study Center include a copy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art on microfilm (unrestricted material only); various 19th-century American periodicals on microform; printed materials relating to American art history, artists, and exhibitions; and object and artist files relating to the Fine Arts Museums’ American art collection.

    Hours
    By appointment only

    Contact

    Lauren Palmor
    Associate Curator, American Art
    lpalmor@famsf.org

    Painting of mountain with rainbow overhead and greenery in foreground

    Frederic Edwin Church, American (1826–1900), Rainy Season in the Tropics (detail), 1866. Oil on canvas. Museum purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection. 1970.9

  • Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Study Center

    The Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts houses our collection of works on paper. Many of these can be viewed by qualified researchers and classes of up to 12 students in the Legion of Honor’s George Roberts Seminar Room by appointment. Appointments to view objects from the collection can be requested by filling out this form. See our guidelines for class visits here.

    Hours
    Thursdays, 10 am to 4 pm

    Contact
    Furio Rinaldi
    Curator in Charge, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts
    frinaldi@famsf.org

    Four horsemen trample people on the ground

    Albrecht Dürer, The Four Horsemen, fourth plate from the series The Apocalypse (detail), 1497–1498 (1511 edition). Woodcut, Image: 15 1/2 x 11 in (393 x 279 mm) trimmed; Sheet: 15 1/2 x 11 in (393 x 279 mm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, William H. Noble Bequest Fund, 1979.1.50.5

  • Provenance + repatriation

    Copper paneling on outside of de Young museum
  • Photo services + imaging

    person in a gallery taking a picture of artwork