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...

  • UVicLibraries
  • Law Society of Upper Canada Archives
  • tyrrellhistoricallibrary
  • Cornell University Library
  • Aalto University Library and Archive Commons
  • National Galleries of Scotland Commons
  • National Library of Australia Commons
  • nha.library
  • Het Nieuwe Instituut - Architecture Collection
  • VCU Libraries Commons
  • Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest
  • California Historical Society Digital Collection
  • National Library NZ on The Commons
  • Mississippi Department of Archives and History
  • Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University
  • Museum of Photographic Arts Collections
  • DC Public Library Commons
  • Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
  • Vancouver Public Library Historical Photographs
  • bibliothequedetoulouse
  • Netherlands Institute of Military History
  • Archives of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle
  • National Library of Norway
  • Mennonite Church USA Archives
  • The Library of Virginia
  • National Library of Sweden
  • Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík Museum of
  • Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections
  • CDHS
  • SMU Central University Libraries
  • Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
  • Directorate General of Press and Information
  • Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane
  • The British Library
  • The National Archives UK

A Commons Sampler

Taumatawharangi Homestead on Darrows Station, Te Akau, near Raglan, 1910 - Photograph taken by Gilmour Brothers
Taumatawharangi Homestead on Darrows Station, Te Akau, near Raglan,...
from National Library NZ on The Commons

View of Raglan from Nihi Nihi, 1911 - Photograph taken by Gilmour Brothers
View of Raglan from Nihi Nihi, 1911 - Photograph taken by Gilmour...
from National Library NZ on The Commons

Talisman Battery at Karangahake
Talisman Battery at Karangahake
from National Library NZ on The Commons

New Zealand Industrial Exhibition, 1885 :Thursday evening, Aug[ust] 6, Grand performance of Mendelssohn's oratoria "Elijah". Conductor Mr Robert Parker. [Programme]. Printed at the New Zealand Times Office, Wellington. 1885.
New Zealand Industrial Exhibition, 1885 :Thursday evening, Aug[ust]...
from National Library NZ on The Commons

Ferry at the wharf at Okere on Lake Rotoiti
Ferry at the wharf at Okere on Lake Rotoiti
from National Library NZ on The Commons

Clematis aristata | clematis
Clematis aristata | clematis
from Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office Commons

Cyathodes oxycedrus | peach berry
Cyathodes oxycedrus | peach berry
from Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office Commons

144580024_0023
144580024_0023
from Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office Commons

Rubus gunnianus | wild raspberry
Rubus gunnianus | wild raspberry
from Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office 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!!