Collections: API: Overview

The Brooklyn Museum Collection API consists of a set of methods that return structured data and links to images from our collections.

To perform an action using the API, you need to issue an HTTP request to this base URL:

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/api/

Parameters

The methods provided by the API take a range of parameters specific to their individual functions, but all methods rely on these three principal parameters:

method (Required)

Specifies what method to perform (e.g., "collection.search", "collection.getItem")

api_key (Required)

Your personal API Key.

format (Optional)

The response format. Valid formats are xml, json, html, cdwalite, dublincore. Default xml.

Method-specific parameters are documented on the method detail pages, which are listed on the API index page.

Example

The following request returns all items that match keyword "eames":

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/api/
?method=collection.search&api_key=[YOUR API KEY]&keyword=eames

The response will look something like this:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<response status="success" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/api/api.xsd">
  <resultset total="19" start_index="0" results_limit="1" query="keyword=eames" next_uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/api/?method=collection.search&version=1&api_key=&format=xml&include_item_fields=true&include_image_caption=false&results_limit=1&keyword=eames&_local_access_key=f17131c6152e3218b59ed8d7b621fae11236219305&start_index=1">
    <items>
      <object id="1677" title="Leg Splint" uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/1677/Leg_Splint" accession_number="83.156" object_date="designed 1941-1942; manufactured 1943-1945" object_date_begin="1941" object_date_end="1945" medium="Plywood" dimensions="42 x 4 1/4 x 8 in. (106.7 x 10.8 x 20.3 cm)" markings="Branded on inside section behind ankle: "S2-1790"; stamped in green on outside near top: "MOLDED PLYWOOD DIVISION / LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA / patent pending [...] EAMES [...]"; circular logo containing "EVANS PRODUCTS COMPANY" around circle, and crisscrossing in center: "EVANS / EVANS"" signed="no signature" inscribed="no inscriptions" credit_line="Anonymous gift" classification="Medical" rank="0">
        <images total="2">
          <image uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/images/objects/size2/83.156_transp2760.jpg" thumb_uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/images/objects/size0/83.156_transp2760.jpg" credit="Brooklyn Museum photograph" description="overall" is_color="true" rank="0"/>
        </images>
        <artists>
          <artist uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/artists/8699/Charles_Eames" id="8699" name="Charles Eames" dates="American, 1907-1978" nationality="American" role="Designer"/>
          <artist uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/artists/6823/Ray_Eames" id="6823" name="Ray Eames" dates="American, born Bernice Alexander Kaiser, 1912-1988" nationality="American" role="Designer"/>
          <artist uri="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/artists/14333/Evans_Products_Company" id="14333" name="Evans Products Company" dates="" nationality="" role="Manufacturer"/>
        </artists>
      </object>
    </items>
  </resultset>
</response>

Service URI: ?method=collection.search&version=1&format=xml&keyword=eames&results_limit=1