Your Librarian
Creative Commons and Public Domain Image Collections
- Wikimedia CommonsOver 16 million freely usable media files. Like Wikipedia, anyone can contribute to the collection. Copyright and licensing information is provided for every image.
- Creative Commons Flickr PhotosFlickr is a photo-sharing Web site. Many users of the site choose to offer their work under a Creative Commons license, allowing greater flexibility for use than standard copyright.
- Flickr: The CommonsCollection of photographs that are free of copyright restrictions from dozens of cultural institutions around the world, including the Smithsonian, several U.S. museums, several state archive, NARA, and New York Public Library. Be aware that this is a separate Flickr stream from the main institutional Flickr sites, which often contain copyrighted images.
- Creative Commons SearchSearch for items that have been licensed for reuse.
- U.S. Government Image SearchSearch images across US agencies. Many of these will be public domain images, but be sure to check the terms of use.
- Europeana This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and subject indexing)
A large collections with artworks, artifacts, books, videos and sounds from across Europe. Has filters for Open Licenses.
- Finding and Using Public Domain PhotographsThis page lists resources for high-quality public domain photographs, with tips on how to ensure images you are working with are free of use restrictions.
Strategies for Finding Creative Commons Images
In addition to the above aggregators of Creative Commons-licensed images, you can also consider searching the image collections of numerous institutions that make their images available for free use. The following links are just a snapshot of what is available. Note: Many of the examples below are skewed towards historical artifacts.
- Smitsonian Open AccessDownload, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images. Be sure to select "Open Access Media (CC0)" when searching.
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and subject indexing)
Search through millions of digitized prints and photographs from United States history. Thousands of these images, free of copyright restrictions, are also available on Flickr. - New York Public Library Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
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A rich collection of primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more.
- Open Access Collection from The MetSearch more than 375,000 hi-res images of public-domain works from the museum's collection.
- Mukurtu - Showcase of CollectionsMukurtu is a grassroots project aiming to empower communities to manage, share, narrate, and exchange their digital heritage in culturally relevant and ethically-minded ways. This page showcases some sites that have used the platform.
- Yale Digital Commons
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Images from the Yale Peabody Museum, Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University Library Map Collection, and Office of Digital Dissemination.
Google Images Licensed for Reuse
In Google images, click on "Tools" and then "Usage Rights." Then select "Creative Commons licenses." This will search for images that match this license, primarily drawing from Wikimedia Commons and Flick Creative Commons.
Free Stock Photos
These sites include thousands of stock images that have been made available for free, non-commercial use. The terms of use will vary from site to site, so be sure to understand the conditions before using.
