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...

  • UBC Library Digitization Centre
  • Getty Research Institute
  • The British Library
  • The Graduate Institute, Geneva
  • Directorate General of Press and Information
  • bibliothequedetoulouse
  • sinaloaarchivohistorico
  • Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (Public Domain)
  • Nova Scotia Archives
  • Vancouver Public Library Historical Photographs
  • Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
  • National Media Museum
  • Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library
  • Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
  • Swedish National Heritage Board
  • National Library of Scotland
  • NASA on The Commons
  • UL Digital Library
  • National Archives of Estonia
  • Aalto University Library and Archive Commons
  • California Historical Society Digital Collection
  • State Library of New South Wales collection
  • Deseronto Archives
  • Netherlands Institute of Military History
  • Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
  • The Library of Congress
  • SMU Central University Libraries
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • National Galleries of Scotland Commons
  • The Library of Virginia
  • Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University
  • National Library NZ on The Commons
  • National Library of Norway
  • DC Public Library Commons
  • Het Nieuwe Instituut - Architecture Collection

A Commons Sampler

Heinkel HD 19W for Sweden   Nowarra photo
Heinkel HD 19W for Sweden Nowarra photo
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

P-63A  Bell photo
P-63A Bell photo
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Lockheed Altair 8D  1935
Lockheed Altair 8D 1935
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Fokker PW-7
Fokker PW-7
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

XF7C-1 on float  US Navy photo
XF7C-1 on float US Navy photo
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Tupolev ?  Model taken 1994
Tupolev ? Model taken 1994
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Curtiss BF2C-1
Curtiss BF2C-1
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Parsol All Metal
Parsol All Metal
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

Junkers K30  Nowarra photo
Junkers K30 Nowarra photo
from San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

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!!