Research Guides: Finding Images: Web Resources

Image Search Engines

These image databases are user- generated. They may contain some free images. Look for Creative Commons, or information about Fair Use/Dealings. Please visit the Copyright and Fair Use/Dealing section on this guide for more information.

Flickr
Millions of photographs uploaded by users. In Advanced Search, choose Creative Commons licenses for reusable images. Explore The Commons for images contributed by institutions.
OAIster
Open access digital resources from libraries and archives. Use Advanced Search to limit results to images. OCLC/Worldcat.
Public Domain Pictures.net
Public Domain Pictures.net is a repository for free public domain images. You can download high quality photos or upload your own pictures. Raise money for charity, gain popularity and improve your photographic and graphic skills.
Wikimedia Commons
Online repository of free-use images, sound and other media files.

Public Collections on the Internet

Images available through public websites; note restrictions on reuse

The Common: Flickr
Cultural heritage institutions share photographs from their collections.
Essential List for Visual Resources Professionals
Compiled by Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design.
Europeana
A single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe. It is an authoritative source of information coming from European cultural and scientific institutions.
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)
Library of Congress's photographic collections, including Brady-Handy presidential portraits, daguerreotypes, Farm Security Administration photographs, National Photo Company early 20th-century photos of D.C., and more.
LIFE Photo Archive Hosted by Google
Millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.
Shared Shelf Commons
A free, open-access library of images. Search and browse collections with tools to zoom, print, export, and share images.
Web Gallery of Art
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture from 11th to mid-19th centuries. It is intended to be a free resource of art history primarily for students and teachers.

Stock Photography Resources

Stock photography are photographs that have been licensed for a specific use. They are often used to fulfill creative projects instead of hiring a photographer. The web provides many searchable databases that allow you to search for stock photographs. You can purchase and deliver the images easily and quickly. Please see below for some of the most popular suppliers of stock photography.

Free Images
Great source to locate free stock images. Users can sign up for an account to download and contribute images.
Getty Images
Provider of digital media worldwide, creating and distributing a range of assets – from royalty-free stock photography and editorial images to footage, music and multimedia.
Matton Images
A wide collection of photographs. Requires a pay subscription for download.