Research Guides: Find Primary Sources: Journals, Magazines & Newspapers

Searching for Primary Source Articles

Use one of the databases listed on this page, or on our Find Articles guide (which one you use will depend on the time period and geographic area of interest)

Note that Smith also has many 18th, 19th, and 20th century magazines in print.

Use Publication Finder for online journals and Discover Advanced (Catalog only) for print volumes of specific journals. (Enter the journal title, not the article title.)

Ask Us for suggestions of these and additional sources.

Historical Magazines and Journals: Collections

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window Contains 19th century American newspapers (including African American), US county histories, and notable magazines (Godey's Ladies Book, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, etc.)
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals [EBSCO] 1684-1912 This link opens in a new window Digitized American magazines & journals, detailing American history & culture. Topics include women's issues, health, science, the history of slavery, industry & professions, religion, the arts, etc.
American Periodicals [ProQuest] 18th-early 20th Century This link opens in a new window Over 1,100 titles including Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine, early professional journals, and popular magazines such as Vanity Fair, Harper's, and Ladies' Home Journal.
British Periodicals Collection [ProQuest] 1680s to 1930s This link opens in a new window Searchable full text of hundreds of British periodicals from the late 17th century to the early 20th century.
Periodicals Archive Online (PAO) [ProQuest] 1802 to 1995 This link opens in a new window Full text archive of hundreds of periodicals in the arts, humanities and social sciences from their first issues to 1995. For complete indexing use the Periodicals Index Online.
Women's Magazine Archive [Proquest] This link opens in a new window Contains (each from their start to 2005): Better Homes & Gardens, Chatelaine, Cosmopolitan, Essence, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parents; Redbook; Seventeen, Town and Country, Woman’s Day, and Women’s International Network News.

Historical Magazines and Journals: Individual Titles

Architectural Digest Archive [EBSCO] 1922-2011 This link opens in a new window Full text archive, 1922-2011.
Esquire Magazine Archive [EBSCO] 1933-2014 This link opens in a new window Full-text archive, 1933-2014.
Fortune Magazine Archive [EBSCO] 1930-2000 This link opens in a new window Seminal business magazine, providing news & analysis of both American and, later, international business, economics, technology & industry.
Harper's Bazaar Archive [ProQuest] 1867+ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable, including every advertisement; chronicles the work of world-renowned designers, models, photographers, stylists & illustrators. Useful for topics in women’s studies, material culture, design, fashion, marketing, advertising, etc.
Life Magazine Archive [EBSCO] 1936-2000 This link opens in a new window Full text archive, 1936-2000.
Listener Historical Archive [Gale] 1929-1991 This link opens in a new window BBC's weekly magazine, with transcripts of many early broadcasts, plus commentary & book reviews. Contributors included E.M. Forster, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf, W.H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, Philip Larkin, etc.
National Geographic Magazine Archive [Gale] 1888-2020 This link opens in a new window Complete digital archive, 1888-2020.
Nation Archive Premium Edition [EBSCO] 1865+ This link opens in a new window Searchable text, with PDF images, of The Nation from 1865 to present.
Punch [Gale] 1841-1992 This link opens in a new window Iconic British humor magazine, whose celebrated cartoons documented rapid technological, social, and political change in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Vogue Archive [ProQuest] 1892+ This link opens in a new window Entire run of the US edition, showcasing the work of the greatest designers, photographers, stylists & illustrators of the 20th & 21st centuries. Up until the 1920s, the focus was on society, not fashion.

Historical Newspapers: International

Japan Times Digital Archive 1897-2021 This link opens in a new window Searchable, full-image archive of Japan's largest English-language newspaper.
Jerusalem Post [ProQuest], 1932-2008 This link opens in a new window Covers Israel, the Middle East, and the international Jewish community. Includes the earlier title, The Palestine Post.
RetroNews 1631-1951 This link opens in a new window Digitized articles from ~1500 French national, regional, local and colonial newspapers, covering over three centuries.
Times of India [ProQuest], 1838-2001 This link opens in a new window Founded in 1838 to serve British residents of West India; this digital archive serves researchers interested in studying colonialism & post-colonialism, history, class & gender issues,international economics, etc.

Historical Newspapers: Collections

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window Contains 19th century American newspapers (including African American), US county histories, and notable magazines (Godey's Ladies Book, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, etc.)
America's Historical Newspapers 1690-1922 This link opens in a new window Cover-to-cover reproductions of hundreds of historic newspapers, based on the Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers series.

Chronicling America 1880 - 1910 Newspapers from California, District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Gale News Vault [Gale] This link opens in a new window Cross-searching for Gale's historical news products, including: 17th & 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers; 19th Century British Library Newspapers; Illustrated London News Historical Archive; Listener Historical Archive; Times Digital Archive; Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive.
Hispanic American Newspapers 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window Full text compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the US during the 19th & 20th centuries; includes many newspapers published bilingually in Spanish & English.
Latin American Newspapers, Series 1 & 2, 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window Online access to hundreds of newspapers published in the 19th & early 20th centuries; featuring titles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and twelve other countries. Includes eyewitness reporting, editorials, legislative information, letters, poetry, advertisements, obituaries, etc.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window Full text articles from the Boston Globe, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Atlanta Constitution, Jerusalem Post, New York Amsterdam News, and Times of India.

Historical Newspapers: American - Individual Titles

Atlanta Constitution [Proquest], 1868-1985 This link opens in a new window Covers the political, economic, cultural & social life of the southeastern US from Reconstruction through the late 20th century.
Boston Globe [ProQuest] 1872+ MLIN This link opens in a new window Full text newspaper, with images.
Chicago Defender Historical [ProQuest] 1905-1975 This link opens in a new window Online archive of articles, editorial cartoons, photographs, advertisements, etc. from this important African-American newspaper.
Chicago Tribune Historical [ProQuest] 1849+ (lacks current 14 years) This link opens in a new window Full text newspaper, with images.

Lily: A Temperance and Feminist Newspaper 1849-1856 The first newspaper for women (ed. Amelia Bloomer 1849-1854, then Mary Birdsall 1855-1856). Initial coverage of temperance issues later expanded to include articles on child-bearing, education, and women’s rights, with many articles by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Los Angeles Times Historical [ProQuest] 1881+ (subscription ends 08/01/2024) This link opens in a new window Full text, including images of the Los Angeles Daily Times (1881-1886) and the Los Angeles Times (1886-1986).
New York Amsterdam News Historical [Proquest] 1922-1993 This link opens in a new window A leading African American newspaper of the 20th century. Full page and article images with searchable full text from the New York Amsterdam news (1922-1938), New York Amsterdam news (1938-1941 : City ed.), New York Amsterdam news (1943-1961 : City ed.), New York Amsterdam news (1962-1993), New York Amsterdam star-news (1941-1943), and the New York star & Amsterdam news (1941-1941). The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue in PDF format.
New York Herald Tribune [ProQuest] 1841-1962 This link opens in a new window Full text, including images, of this influential paper founded by Horace Greeley. Important for 19th century US social history and 20th century literature & arts coverage.
New York Times Historical [ProQuest] 1851+ (lacks current 4 years) This link opens in a new window Full text, including images, of the New York Times up to 2007.
Republican (Springfield, MA) 1850-1987 This link opens in a new window Part of America's Historical Newspapers. To search just this title, click on Places of Publication / Massachusetts, then scroll to the Springfield listings (Springfield Republican, Springfield Union, etc.)
Washington Post Historical [ProQuest] 1877+ (subscription ends 07/01/2024) This link opens in a new window NOTE: For access to the Washington Post archives, please click "Print Archives" on the Washington Post site. Must be on campus or logged into your Washington Post account for access.

Historical Newspapers: British

Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century Burney Collection Newspapers [Gale] 1604-1804 This link opens in a new window Early English news media including the British Library's collection of the newspapers, pamphlets & books gathered by Rev. Charles Burney (1757-1817).
Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century Nichols Collection Newspapers [Gale] 1672-1737 This link opens in a new window Searchable full-text access to the John Nichols collection of newspapers; Nichols (1745-1826) was a prominent printer, author & editor. His collection was purchased by Oxford's Bodleian Library in 1865.
Nineteenth Century British Newspapers [Gale] 1800-1913 This link opens in a new window Includes 48 national, regional & local newspapers, selected to best document 19th century Britain.
Times (London) Digital Archive [Gale] (lacks current 6 years) This link opens in a new window Complete digital edition of The Times (London), including articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos.
Times (London) Sunday Digital Archive [Gale] 1822-2016 This link opens in a new window Complete digital edition of The Sunday Times (London), including articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos.
Daily Mail Historical Archive [Gale] 1897-2016 This link opens in a new window Important, alternative news perspective, compared to the London Times; targeted at the British lower and middle classes, with a large female readership.
Illustrated London News Historical Archive [Gale] 1842-2003 This link opens in a new window Digital archive of the world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, presenting a vivid picture of British & world events, including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts & science.