Looking for a free image to use? Some websites include images that are in the public domain (free to use without permission). Other sites include images with which the creator is giving up some of their copyright protection and allowing you to use their photos and artwork, with some usage rules (e.g. Creative Commons licenses). For example, they might require you to tell people where the image came from and who made it. Before you copy or use any image, it’s a good idea to check for usage or licensing rules or consult with a licensed attorney.
Take a look at these resources to find your next photo:
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A section of the photo-sharing website Flickr which provides access to images from public photography archives at museums and libraries around the world. Search for historic photos and add comments and tags to the images. The photos on this site have “no known copyright restrictions.”
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Creative Commons is an organization that helps people share content like photos or videos online. This webpage lets you search for images with Creative Commons licenses.
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Use this library resource created by the Encyclopedia Britannica to find millions of images that you can use for non-commercial purposes. The collection includes photos and clip art. You can sort results by orientation and shape — horizontal, vertical or square. Information about creator and rights is provided for each image.
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A collection of archived materials where you can find many high resolution stock photos free for you to download.
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A site offering over 1.7 million royalty-free stock photos and videos.
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The Smithsonian has created this site to provide access to millions of images from their museums, libraries, archives and the National Zoo. Every image has a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, meaning that the Smithsonian has waived all of their rights under copyright. There is also a Smithsonian Learning Lab with information about the Open Access collection and ideas for how to use it.