Are you hungry for high quality, publishable images to use in your dissertation or manuscript? Trying to avoid expensive licensing fees? Not sure what images are in the public domain?
If so, consider the following resources for copyright-free or copyright-lenient images. Most image sites include both high and low resolution images, with high quality TIFFs available upon request. Please note that each resource/institution may have specific requirements for attribution or limits on print runs. When in doubt, contact the institution before using the images in your publication.
Do you know of additional resources that we should add? Contact us!
General Resources and Guides
- University of Chicago Library’s Guide to Copyright-free and Copyright-lenient Images
- ARTstor Images for Academic Publishing
- European Public Domain Calculator
- Copyright Term and Public Domain in the United States
- Digital Image Rights Computator
Museum Image Resources
- Amsterdam Rijksmuseum (see English language ICONCLASS catalog)
- The British Museum
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
- National Gallery of Art
- UK National Portrait Gallery
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Walters Art Museum
- Yale Center for British Art
- Yale University Art Gallery
Image Resources by Subject
Illustration
- University of Michigan: Historic Illustrations of Art and Architecture
- Lawrence University: Art of the Poster 1880-1918
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design: Original Illustration Portfolios
- James Madison University: Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (use Guest Login)
Islamic
Medieval
- Index of Christian Art: Romanesque
- Index of Christian Art: Lois Drewer Database
- International Society for the Study of Pilgrimage Art: Peregrinations Photo-bank
Photography
Royalty-Free Images (One-time Fee)
- Archivision Stock Photos
2 replies on “High Quality Images for Academic Publishing”
Dear VRC-ers,
This is a wonderful list to have! Thanks so much for compiling it.
Hopefully as the number of institutions and resources recognizing the legitimate fair use needs (and goals) of art historians grows the list will get even longer.
Will you accept additions to the list if we send them along?
thanks!
Aden Kumler
Hi Aden! We’re so glad that the list is useful. We will definitely accept additions, please do send them along! We’ll continue to add to the list, too. Thank you!