Photo by George

The Commons

Help us catalog the world’s public photo archives.

The Commons Help us catalog the world’s public photo archives.

Welcome!

The key goal of The Commons is to share hidden treasures from the world's public photography archives.

Please help make the photographs you enjoy more discoverable by adding tags and leaving comments. Your contributions and knowledge make these photos even richer*

Participating Institutions

FAQ

Rights Statement

A random sprinkling of our participating institutions...

  • The National Archives UK
  • Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane
  • National Library of Ireland on The Commons
  • State Library of New South Wales collection
  • UW Digital Collections
  • IWM Collections
  • The British Library
  • LlGC ~ NLW
  • Swedish National Heritage Board
  • Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University
  • UL Digital Library
  • Dundas Museum and Archives
  • The Library of Virginia
  • Royal Australian Historical Society
  • Vancouver Public Library Historical Photographs
  • Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík Museum of
  • State Library of Queensland, Australia
  • UA Archives | Upper Arlington History
  • National Library of Sweden
  • Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
  • nha.library
  • Nova Scotia Archives
  • Law Society of Upper Canada Archives
  • Provincial Archives of Alberta
  • National Media Museum
  • Getty Research Institute
  • Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections
  • George Eastman House
  • State Records NSW
  • National Galleries of Scotland Commons
  • Deseronto Archives
  • National Maritime Museum
  • National Library of Australia Commons
  • Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland
  • DC Public Library Commons

A Commons Sampler

Clementine_Hunter
Clementine_Hunter
from Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University

Mountain View Nursing Home, Glenwood Springs Colorado
Mountain View Nursing Home, Glenwood Springs Colorado
from Mennonite Church USA Archives

[Tunnel 6, Boqueron Pass, La Guaira-Caracas Railway]
[Tunnel 6, Boqueron Pass, La Guaira-Caracas Railway]
from SMU Central University Libraries

Emma Hess RN Director of Nursin, LaJunta
Emma Hess RN Director of Nursin, LaJunta
from Mennonite Church USA Archives

Mother_Waddles
Mother_Waddles
from Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University

Alice_Dunnigan
Alice_Dunnigan
from Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University

L. H. Johnson, Calhoun, 1978
L. H. Johnson, Calhoun, 1978
from Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Roy Cole, Bolivar Co., Farm Bureau
Roy Cole, Bolivar Co., Farm Bureau
from Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Mississippians In Washington, L. H. Johnson, Calhoun Co., center
Mississippians In Washington, L. H. Johnson, Calhoun Co., center
from Mississippi Department of Archives and History

More about The Commons

A new way to share photos on Flickr

The Commons was launched on January 16 2008, when we released our pilot project in partnership with The Library of Congress. Both Flickr and the Library were overwhelmed by the positive response to the project! Thank you!

The program has two main objectives:

  1. To increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and
  2. To provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge. (Then watch what happens when they do!)

FAQ

I work for a cultural heritage institution that would like to be a part of The Commons. How do we do that?

Please let us know you're interested by registering here. It helps a lot if you let us know some background about your institution, and direct us to any online photo collections you already have.

How can I get involved?

We've already seen fantastic contribution from the Flickr membership. Your tags and conversations about the content in The Commons has been wonderful! The best way to get involved is to add a tag or two to the photos you see, and if you happen to know anything else about the subject, by all means add a comment.

What's "no known copyright restrictions?"

This new rights statement is being contained to the institutions participating in The Commons, at the account level. It is a requirement for participation in the program that institutions may rightly claim "no known copyright restrictions" on the content they share. More information.

*Any Flickr member is able to add tags or comment on these collections. If you're a dork about it, shame on you. This is for the good of humanity, dude!!