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Public Domain Resources

Anything in the public domain is ok to use for any purpose, with or without being modified. things either become public domain after a long period of time (95 years in the US) or when the creator/copyright holder allows them to. That means it's easy and cool to have a vintage-themed blog! A lot of these sources go back to images, particularly art, but I can always add other works under PD!

Copyright law sucks! That being said, these are all really cool places to get the things you need!

* marks my favorites

Online Museums and Libraries:

• Science History Institute

• New York Public Library

• LOC Free-to-Use Photosets

• *Wikimedia's Public Domain Image Resources

  BIG sorted list of websites and databases to choose from.

Vintage Art

• Old Book Illustrations

• FOBO

  more old book art

• British Library's Flickr

  organized into categories

• Biodiversity Heritage Library's Flickr

  old biological illustrations

• NYPL Manuscript Borders

  Really cool page frames and borders

• Vintage American Postcards

  According to Wikipedia, any postcard pre-1978 is automatically PD.

• *harley b.

  Not a source, per se, but someone on flickr with really good taste. Well-organized galleries. Goths should check out!

Vintage Maps:

• Picture Box Blue
• Wikimedia

Old Books and Manuscripts

• LOC World Digital Library

  International Collection from the Library of Congress. A bit difficult to navigate

• Science History Institute's Alchemical Texts

• British Library Manuscript Search

• Handrit.is

  Great for Norse texts!

• SHI Historical Chemisty Library

  Includes alchemical manuscripts, but is really anything chemistry related pre-1900

• Provenance Online Project

  Manuscripts, stamps and engravings. Sorted mainly by university library they are held at.

• The Bestiary

  800 pictures of beasts. What more could you need..