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...

  • UA Archives | Upper Arlington History
  • Center for Jewish History, NYC
  • Royal Australian Historical Society
  • NASA on The Commons
  • JWA Commons
  • Provincial Archives of Alberta
  • The National Archives UK
  • The Royal Library, Denmark
  • Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
  • National Museum of Denmark
  • The Graduate Institute, Geneva
  • National Library of Sweden
  • UVicLibraries
  • National Media Museum
  • Texas State Archives
  • Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University
  • Fotoarkivet NTM
  • Vancouver Public Library Historical Photographs
  • CDHS
  • Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane
  • Regionaal Archief Alkmaar Commons
  • Australian War Memorial collection
  • Vestfoldmuseene | Vestfold Museums
  • OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons
  • Swedish National Heritage Board
  • Senado Federal do Brasil
  • TXSTATE Library Digital Collections
  • Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections
  • Directorate General of Press and Information
  • George Eastman House
  • Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík Museum of
  • SMU Central University Libraries
  • UL Digital Library
  • Library Company of Philadelphia
  • Powerhouse Museum Collection

A Commons Sampler

Quicksilver Furnaces, Nos. 1 & 2
Quicksilver Furnaces, Nos. 1 & 2
from SMU Central University Libraries

200330369
200330369
from Nova Scotia Archives

200806242
200806242
from Nova Scotia Archives

Pioneer 11 Image of Saturn and its Moon Titan
Pioneer 11 Image of Saturn and its Moon Titan
from NASA on The Commons

Estacion de Ayotla
Estacion de Ayotla
from SMU Central University Libraries

[Men on Horseback in front of Iztaccihuatl]
[Men on Horseback in front of Iztaccihuatl]
from SMU Central University Libraries

Sydney Harbour Bridge - View from McMahon's Point
Sydney Harbour Bridge - View from McMahon's Point
from State Records NSW

15002
15002
from Nova Scotia Archives

200903890
200903890
from Nova Scotia Archives

More about The Commons

Image

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!!