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Reference

THE big list of public domain image sources

As every graphic designer knows, you are not free to simply add an illustration or photograph to a brochure or web site without first knowing who owns it and what rights they have to it. Some images are copyrighted—which means the owner dictates how it can be used. Others are copyright-free or their copyrights have expired (generally referred to as being in the public domain)—which means (in most cases) you are free to use it without permission.

The good news is there are millions of public domain images available for use&mdashthe bad news is it isn't always easy to distinguish what is protected and what isn't.

All that said, I have compiled a few pages that point to the issues and one that will get you started finding what you're looking for.

This recent article by John Mark Ockerbloom of the University of Pennsylvania Libraries—Shedding light on images in the public domain—offers a good introduction...

Peter B. Hirtle of Cornell University provides a useful overview of the current laws: Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States...

With that information in mind, you should be sufficiently armed to wander around Wikipedia's "wild west" of public domain image resources—there's lots of opportunity there but travel the territory with caution. (Just because it's listed doesn't mean it's safe to use.)...

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