Museum Releases 25K Worldwide Photos Of 20th-Century Life Into Public Domain

In 1908, French banker Albert Kahn set out on a mission to photograph humanity in the far stretches of the earth. He enlisted 12 photographers to capture life everywhere, and they followed through by carrying their lenses across 50 countries to document mundane and animated moments. Alas, his project, Archives of the Planet, came to an end in 1931 after he fell bankrupt from the stock market crash.

Regardless, it was an ambitious feat, and the photographers pooled efforts to take more than 72,000 photos of people and cultural sites, as well as chronicled major events like the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence, PetaPixel reports.

The Archives of the Planet series is currently managed by the Albert-Kahn Museum, which has now made about 69,000 high-resolution color photos free for download or perusal. Almost 25,000 of them are in the public domain, giving anyone free license to use and build upon them as they wish, no strings attached. The other 34,000 images, also high-res, come with varying guidelines for usage.

“Fayz Bey el Azm, a companion of Emir Faisal,” taken in Quweira, Arabia (present-day Jordan), 1918. Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

The digitization of these prized photos extends Kahn’s wish to showcase life across the globe and the worldly lessons they convey. “The Archives of the Planet, as its name indicates, must enable future generations to learn from the ‘lessons contained in the direct picture of evolution,’” explains the museum.

While the images have long been viewable on the site, they were previously low in quality and displayed on an interface that was hard to work with. The museum has since rolled out a digital revamp for its Image Portal, and it’s also giving users the ability to download the photos in full resolution.

As PetaPixel notes, visitors can easily browse the images in high-res on the portal; however, if they wish to download the photos, they will have to sign up, though this can also be done for free.

About 80% of Archives of the Planet is online via this image bank. If you’re interested in downloading any of these photos, be sure to check the terms of each image first. Many are labeled as “Freely Reusable (CC-OO) - Public Domain,” but there are also those under the slightly more restrictive CC-BY-4.0 license and photos listed as all rights reserved.

“A flower seller in front of 53 Rue Cambon,” taken in Paris, France (1918). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“Algerian dancers and musicians from the Ouled Naïl tribe,” taken in Bou Saada, Algeria (between 1909 and 1911). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“A young woman splitting a betel leaf,” taken in Hanoi, Tonkin, Vietnam (1916). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“A young carpet weaver in front of her loom,” taken in Algiers, Algeria (between 1909 and 1911). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“Lead actor of the play Mochizuki, portraying Ozawa-no-Tomofusa,” taken in Kyoto, Japan (1912). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“The Sphinx and the Cheops Pyramid,” taken in Giza, Egypt (1914). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“French frontline trench at Le Hamel,” taken in Le Hamel, Somme, Picardy (1915). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“The Grand Axial Canal and Taj Mahal Mausoleum,” taken in Agra, India (1913). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“The Esphigmenou Monastery, Greece” (1913). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

“Little girl at the foot of a basin in the Basilica of San Zeno,” taken in Verona, Italy (1918). Image via Albert-Kahn Museum (public domain)

[via PetaPixel and Albert-Kahn Museum, images via Albert-Kahn Museum]