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*

A random sprinkling of our participating institutions...

  • DEXTRA Photo
  • bibliothequedetoulouse
  • National Library of Ireland on The Commons
  • Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland
  • The Library of Virginia
  • Mennonite Church USA Archives
  • Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
  • Swedish National Heritage Board
  • Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
  • National Library NZ on The Commons
  • Australian War Memorial collection
  • National Library of Norway
  • The Library of Congress
  • Museum of Photographic Arts Collections
  • SMU Central University Libraries
  • National Museum of Denmark
  • Powerhouse Museum Collection
  • OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons
  • National Galleries of Scotland Commons
  • State Library and Archives of Florida
  • Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane
  • UL Digital Library
  • George Eastman House
  • Cornell University Library
  • Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest
  • The National Archives UK
  • IWM Collections
  • LSE Library
  • The Royal Library, Denmark
  • NASA on The Commons
  • nha.library
  • Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archives
  • Keene and Cheshire County (NH) Historical Photos
  • Dundas Museum and Archives
  • National Maritime Museum

A Commons Sampler

Grain elevators and train, Claresholm, AB, 1918
Grain elevators and train, Claresholm, AB, 1918
from Musée McCord Museum

Alexandra Graving Dock, Belfast (1)
Alexandra Graving Dock, Belfast (1)
from National Library of Ireland on The Commons

Woman sitting on bumper bar of a car at Warwick Farm racecourse
Woman sitting on bumper bar of a car at Warwick Farm racecourse
from Powerhouse Museum Collection

Two small boys, one on tricycle
Two small boys, one on tricycle
from Powerhouse Museum Collection

Main Street, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, late 19th century
Main Street, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, late 19th century
from National Library of Ireland on The Commons

Rough wooden bridge over river, group with dog on the shore
Rough wooden bridge over river, group with dog on the shore
from Powerhouse Museum Collection

Portrait of a woman seated in a garden
Portrait of a woman seated in a garden
from Powerhouse Museum Collection

Man with a female spirit
Man with a female spirit
from National Media Museum

Travellers' Decorated Caravan
Travellers' Decorated Caravan
from National Library of Ireland on The Commons

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!!
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