The Smithsonian Unleashes 2.8 Million Images That You Can Use For Free
George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait). Digitized by National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
The Smithsonian Institute has released over 2.8 million two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional images to its public domain, allowing the public to download them free-of-charge.
These images were gathered from all 19 Smithsonian museums, research centers, libraries archives and National Zoo, Smithsonian Magazine reports. Some of these high-quality snaps include a record of famous images like Muhamammad Ali’s boxing gear, a portrait of Ida B. Wells and Amelia Earhart’s flight suit.
“Being a relevant source for people who are learning around the world is key to our mission,” Effie Kapsalis, the Smithsonian’s senior digital program officer, says. “We can’t imagine what people are going to do with the collections. We’re prepared to be surprised.”
Those interested can use these copyright free images as they are listed under a Creative Commons Zero license. The Smithsonian will also be releasing an additional 200,000 photos to the access platform, and plans to digitize its 155 million items in its massive database.
“With Smithsonian Open Access, we’re inviting people everywhere to make that knowledge their own––to share and build on our digital collections for everything from creative works, to education and scholarly research, to bold innovations we have yet to imagine,” says Cooper Hewitt’s interim director John Davis.
You can explore all 2.8 million images here.
[via Smithsonian Magazine, opening image via George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait). Digitized by National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation]
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