Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎, *Lilies, from an untitled series of Large Flowers,* c. 1833/34. The Art Insitute of Chicago

Looking for creative inspiration or historical images? Need free high-quality images for your next project? Worried about copyright issues when using found imagery in your artwork?

Whether you’re an artist, a student, or just experimenting, understanding how to access public domain resources can transform your creative practice.

As artists and creators, we constantly seek inspiration and resources for our work. One of the most valuable resources available is public domain imagery—a vast collection of visual content that’s free to use without copyright restrictions. Whether you’re looking for historical artwork to reference, vintage photographs to incorporate into a collage, or simply seeking visual inspiration, public domain images can be an incredible asset.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about finding and using public domain images in your creative practice. From understanding what ‘public domain’ means to discovering the best online sources, I’ll help you navigate the world of free-to-use imagery with confidence.

Where to Find Free Public Domain Images Online

The public domain contains a diverse array of creative content spanning virtually every medium, including photographs and illustrations. Finding high-quality images without copyright restrictions doesn’t have to be a challenge. Here are some of my favourite resources for discovering public domain imagery:

Public Work

Public Work is an image-based search engine for public domain content. The site offers over 100,000 copyright-free images from some of the sources listed below, including The MET, New York Public Library, and others. Images can be opened and saved on their partner site, Cosmos, an online mood board and image-saving tool.

Public Domain Image Archive

The Public Domain Image Archive from The Public Domain Review is an archive and online journal that explores public domain works. Their curated collections feature fascinating historical images, ranging from scientific illustrations to surreal vintage postcards, all free to use.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access offers images of public-domain artworks in its collection that are available for unrestricted use under Creative Commons Zero (CC0). New images and data are added each year.

Getty Open Content

The Getty Open Content Program makes high-resolution images of public domain artwork from the Getty collections freely available, without restrictions. Since 2013, over 160,000 images of public-domain art and archives have been contributed, and new images are added monthly.

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago offers free, unrestricted use of over 50,000 images of works in their collection, including prints, illustrations, and photographs, under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation. The museum requests that artwork be captioned with: Artist. Title, Date. The Art Institute of Chicago.

Open Art Images

Open Art Images is a search engine that offers photographic reproductions of works of art from major galleries, libraries, archives, and museums, including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay.

Old Book Illustrations

Old Book Illustrations provides beautiful animal, portrait, and nature illustrations dating from the 18th century to the first quarter of the 20th century.

Biodiversity Heritage Library on Flickr

The Biodiversity Heritage Library inspires discovery through free access to biodiversity knowledge. It collaboratively is making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community.

Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons houses millions of freely usable media files, including public domain images. Their collection spans historical photographs, artworks, scientific illustrations, and more. Each image includes clear information about its copyright status, making it easy to determine what you can use.

New York Public Library Digital Collections

The New York Public Library Digital Collections offers over 900,000 items from their collections, and more than 180,000 items are in the public domain. Their archive includes historical photographs, manuscripts, maps, and much more. If you search from the main page, remember to tick the option to ‘Search only public domain’.

Library of Congress Digital Collections

The Library of Congress in the United States offers millions of free-to-use items, including photographs, prints, maps, and manuscripts. Their American Memory collection is particularly valuable for historical American imagery.

The British Library on Flickr

The British Library has uploaded over a million public domain images from their collection to Flickr. These images, primarily from 17th, 18th, and 19th-century books, offer a massive collection of historical illustrations.

NASA Images

Almost all NASA photographs and images are in the public domain. Their collections include stunning space photography, satellite imagery, and historical documentation of space missions.

About Public Domain Art

The public domain encompasses creative works that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. These works are owned by the public rather than by an individual creator or entity.

Types of Public Domain Works

While people often think of visual content first, the public domain encompasses the full spectrum of human creative expression across all media formats.

This includes photographs (from historical documentation to modern digital imagery), reproductions of paintings and drawings (particularly those created before the 20th century), books and literary works, musical compositions and recordings, films and cinematographic works, maps and technical drawings, and even computer software.

Works with Expired Copyright - In the United States, works published before 1928 entered the public domain in 2025 due to copyright expiration. More works enter the public domain each year as their copyright terms expire.
Government Works In the US, works created by federal government employees as part of their official duties are automatically in the public domain. This includes photographs taken by NASA, reports created by government agencies, and much more.
Works Dedicated to the Public Domain Some creators explicitly place their works in the public domain using tools like Creative Commons CC0 designation, effectively waiving all copyright rights.
Works That Cannot Be Copyrighted Certain types of creative products cannot be copyrighted, such as facts, ideas, systems, or methods (though specific expressions of these may be protected).

How the Public Domain Works

A work enters the public domain when its intellectual property rights expire or are forfeited. Once a work is in the public domain, anyone can use, modify, distribute, or sell it without seeking permission or paying royalties to the original creator.

Public Domain Day is celebrated on 1st January each year when copyrights often expire and works enter into the public domain. This legal transition of copyright works into the public domain is based on the individual copyright laws of each country.

The specific rules governing when works enter the public domain vary by country. In the United States, copyright terms have been extended several times, creating a complex landscape of protection periods.

How to Find Out if a Picture is in the Public Domain

Determining whether an image is truly in the public domain requires some investigation:

Check the age of the work. In the US, works published before 1928 are in the public domain as of 2025. For works created after 1978, copyright typically lasts for the creator’s lifetime plus 70 years.
Look for explicit public domain declarations. Search for terms like ‘public domain,’ ‘no known copyright restrictions’, or ‘CC0’. Some repositories, like Wikimedia Commons, provide detailed copyright information for each image.
Consider layers of copyright. An adaptation of a work in the public domain may have copyright protection on its own as a new version of a work. Adaptations include translations and illustrated or annotated versions.
Identify the creator and publication date. For works where this information is available, you can calculate whether the copyright has expired. Remember that different countries have different copyright terms.
Consider the source. Government websites often contain public domain images. Museum collections may include public domain works with clear labelling.
Use reverse image search. Tools like Google Images can help you find other instances of the image online, which might provide licensing information.

When in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of caution. If you cannot confirm that an image is in the public domain, consider looking for alternatives with clear licensing information.

Why the Public Domain is Important for Artists and Creators

The public domain serves several crucial functions in our creative ecosystem:

Cultural Preservation - Public domain works ensure our shared cultural heritage remains accessible to everyone. Historical artworks, literature, and photographs help us understand our past and inform our creative future.
Creative Foundation - Every artist builds upon what came before. The public domain provides a foundation of works that can be freely referenced, remixed, and reimagined without legal barriers.
Educational Resources - Free access to information and imagery is vital for education. Public domain works can be freely incorporated into educational materials without cost or licensing concerns.
Economic Opportunity - The public domain enables creators to build upon existing works to create new commercial opportunities, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
Open Access - By ensuring that older creative works eventually become freely available to all, the public domain helps prevent knowledge and culture from being permanently controlled by a small number of copyright holders.

Creative Ways for Artists to Use Public Domain Work in Their Artwork

The public domain offers endless possibilities for creative reuse:

Collage and Mixed Media - Vintage photographs, illustrations, and prints can be physically or digitally collaged to create new works with contemporary meaning.
Digital Manipulation - Public domain images can be transformed through digital techniques like colourisation, distortion, or combining with other elements.
Source Material for Painting and Drawing - Historical images can serve as reference material or starting points for new paintings, drawings, or illustrations.
Printmaking Applications - Public domain patterns, illustrations, or photographs can be incorporated into screens, plates, or blocks for various printmaking techniques.
Textile and Surface Design - Historical patterns, botanical illustrations, or vintage photographs can be transformed into patterns for fabric, wallpaper, or other surface designs.
Animation and Video Art - Public domain imagery can be brought to life through animation techniques or incorporated into video art projects.

Karl Blossfeldt, *Urformen der Kunst,* 1928. Public Domain Reivew

Using Public Domain Images for Commercial Use

One of the greatest advantages of public domain content is that it can be used commercially without restrictions. Here’s what you need to know:

No Permission Required - You don’t need to request permission or pay licensing fees to use public domain images in commercial projects.
No Attribution Required - While giving credit is always a nice practice, public domain works don’t legally require attribution.
Modification Freedom - You can modify, crop, colourise, or otherwise alter public domain images for your commercial work.
Trademark Considerations - Be careful when using public domain images that contain trademarks or recognisable people. While the image itself may be in the public domain, other rights may still apply.
Quality Concerns - Many public domain images are quite old and may need restoration or enhancement before commercial use. Consider the quality of the original and whether it meets your needs.

How to Find Public Domain Images on Google

Google Images can be a useful tool for finding public domain content if you know how to filter your search:

Go to Google Images and enter your search term
Click on ‘Tools’ beneath the search bar
Select ‘Usage Rights’ from the dropdown menu
Choose ‘Creative Commons licenses’ (Google doesn’t have a specific ‘public domain’ filter, but this is closest)
Always verify the license on the original source website, as Google’s filters aren’t 100% accurate

Remember, just because an image appears in a Google search doesn’t mean it’s free to use. Always check the source website for license information.

Public Domain vs. Other Free Image Licenses

It’s important to understand the distinction between truly public domain works and those available under other free licenses:

Creative Commons Licenses - These provide various levels of permission, from very restrictive to very open. Only CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) is equivalent to the public domain.
Royalty-Free - These images require a one-time payment but can then be used without additional fees. They are not public domain.
Free for Personal Use - Many images are free for non-commercial projects but require licensing for commercial applications.
Free for Commercial Use - Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer free-to-use images under their own license rather than public domain. Photographs can be used for free, even commercially, without attribution (though attribution is appreciated).

Understanding these distinctions will help you choose the right resources for your specific needs and avoid potential legal issues down the road.

Conclusion

The public domain represents one of our most valuable shared resources as creators. Understanding how to find, verify, and use public domain images allows you to expand your creative palette while respecting intellectual property rights. Whether you’re creating personal artwork, teaching resources, or commercial designs, these freely available images offer endless possibilities for inspiration and incorporation into your practice.

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