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Free historical images: old photos and maps

Archives hold the pictures that make a history article, a documentary slide or a vintage-styled design: street scenes from a century ago, hand-coloured maps, travel posters and magazine covers. These collections gather them from the Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons and the museums. Old does not always mean free, so every card shows the rights statement the archive gives.

Updated , from a live search of 33 sites.

2 collections

  • Vintage city photos: streets of the past

    Free vintage photographs of city streets, buildings and daily life from the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons, with each archive's rights shown.

    1 image from 1 source · 1 at 1080 px or larger

  • Vintage maps: free antique maps and atlases

    Free antique and vintage maps from the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons: city plans, world maps and charts, with the rights statement for each.

    6 images from 2 sources · 3 at 1080 px or larger

Reading archive rights statements

The Library of Congress marks many photographs 'No known restrictions on publication': you can use them freely, and crediting the collection is a courtesy. Others say 'Rights status not evaluated' or 'Publication may be restricted': those are shown as 'check the terms', because a photographer's estate or a publisher may still hold rights.

Maps and posters

Maps published before about 1930 are public domain in the US and make striking backgrounds and illustrations. Posters and advertisements of the same age often are too, but trademarks in them (a brand name or logo) can still matter if you use them commercially.

Questions

Is every old photograph in the public domain?
No. In the US, works published before 1930 are public domain, but unpublished photographs and later ones may still be in copyright. Use the archive's rights statement, shown on each image.
How do I credit the Library of Congress?
A line such as 'Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division' with the item's link is what the library suggests. It is a courtesy for items with no known restrictions.

Search history & archives live

Each link runs a fresh search of every source for one kind of image. Results show their size and shape where known and carry a licence verdict; turn on Commercial-safe to keep only images you can use commercially.

Also known as: vintage photos, historical photos, old maps, antique maps.

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