Digital archive of images, maps, manuscripts, recordings, and cultural materials.
41 curated resources
Public domain resources for creative work
Public-domain collections can be invaluable for design, illustration, film, education and research. This guide surfaces relevant archives and source libraries already catalogued in The Creative Vault.
Curated starting points
Explore the collection
These are a sample of the resources in this section. Open the full Vault for filters, pricing and platform options.
Free public domain ebooks and texts.
Curated essays and collections of public domain art and media.
High-resolution public domain art and museum collection resources.
Public domain art archive for downloads and inspiration.
Natural history images and biodiversity illustrations.
Public domain images from the British Library Flickr collection.
Open access museum images and data.
Large historic map collection.
New Zealand digital cultural heritage search.
Digital Public Library of America.
European cultural heritage archive.
Curated free-to-use sets from the Library of Congress.
NASA image and video library.
Open access images from the National Gallery of Art.
NOAA photos and scientific imagery.
Public domain book illustrations.
Public domain art, illustrations, and images.
High-resolution public domain art and museum collections.
Open access images and data from Smithsonian collections.
Open access art images from The Met.
Australian digital archive for newspapers, images, maps, and more.
Earth science images, videos, and media.
Large free-use media repository.
About this collection
Find public-domain archives, image libraries, historical collections and reusable source material for creative projects.
The Creative Vault is a hand-curated directory built to help creative people find useful tools without digging through repetitive search results. Resource details can change, so always check the provider’s website for current pricing, licensing and availability.