Public Domain Image Archive

209 points - today at 12:22 AM

Source

Comments

rectang today at 3:16 AM
There are lots of sites that provide images that somebody has claimed are public domain. But for significant use, you what you really need is provenance documentation.

These folks seem to be more up-front about the issue than many sites I’ve seen:

https://pdimagearchive.org/reusing-images/

> On each image page we communicate to the best of our knowledge the rights status of both the underlying work and the digital copy of this work. We provide this information based on a basic knowledge of copyright law and what is communicated by the source institution — it is strictly meant as a guideline and it should not be taken as legal advice. We admit no responsibility for any untoward consequences that may arise through reuse of material featured on our site. If you are requiring certainty as to usage allowed for an image, then you are encouraged to check with the source institution and make your own investigations.

samcgraw today at 4:10 AM
This is just the kind of thing I love about the open internet: the insane amount of art available in archives, (e.g. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en, the Met, etc).

Adding this to the list for one of my side projects[0].

[0] https://flaneur.ink

geoffbp today at 5:29 PM
The infinite view is cool, a bit addictive :)
neilv today at 1:26 AM
Does anyone know how easily you can do "copyright clearance" for these supposedly public domain images?

For example, the page for the first image I clicked on said:

    Date
    1833

    Underlying Rights
    Public Domain Worldwide

    Digital Rights
    No Additional Rights

    * Source states “no known restrictions”
    * We offer this info as guidance only
with a link to: https://pdimagearchive.org/reusing-images/

If, for example, you design the cover of a self-published book around such an image, is Amazon KDP going to reject it, because they don't accept that screenshot as sufficient proof of rights?

alentodorov today at 4:38 PM
feels so refreshing to see a website without the obvious-ai elements.
mmh0000 today at 2:03 AM
I do not know how this site managed to break mousewheel scrolling so badly, but I am quite impressed.
sourcecodeplz today at 6:55 AM
Don't websites like these popup every year, almost same images, different design? You never actually know if you can really use those images for free actually..
AltruisticGapHN today at 8:53 AM
Superb site. Just annoying in the Infinite View it keeps opening random pages when I just want to drag and scroll.
dvh today at 7:10 AM
“An old Welsh woman made out of a banana with a nut for her head. The cat is made from two nuts and some matches.”: https://pdimagearchive.org/images/f658baa9-14be-4002-8b13-78...
acidhousemcnab today at 11:36 AM
Since the national security apparatus have the means to remove, edit or implant what they wish - who's job is this now, and what is it like so far? Have they put a cage of rats on your head and made you denounce your lover? How is Victory Gin?
helterskelter today at 6:05 AM
Looks like PDR finally implemented the "buy a giclée print of anything" feature! Previously you could only buy prints of select works.
jamwise today at 2:42 AM
I don't know if I'll ever use this but that "Infinite View" is a lot of fun, I just lost 20 minutes before snapping myself out of a trance. Some really cool pictures in there.
dukeofdoom today at 12:22 PM
This is great, came across an image of a Labyrinth, which led me to a 1920s book about Labyrinths. I'm currently making a game level with hedge mazes. Thanks.
zuzululu today at 2:21 AM
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