Public Domain Image Search is intended to find high quality images which (as far as possible) are public domain, i.e. without copyright restrictions. A number of galleries are indexed.

INSTRUCTIONS: Search, then click the Image tab on the results page. Then click a filter to narrow down your search (Smithsonian, Technology, Health, Nature or Agriculture).

WARNING: Please check for copyright notices before using as public domain. The default view contains non-PD images, especially from the Smithsonian. The "Smithsonian" tab shows just images from that site which are tagged as public domain (but we haven't managed to do that for the main view).

Other options

You can also search images on the Public Domain Search (via the Image tab). Both are useful, but give different results.

How the search is built

Suitable image have been added manually - a very different approach to the Public Domain Search which searches all of.gov (and some other sites) but excludes unsuitable subdomains of.gov.

The site is managed by Chriswaterguy - help is welcome.

Image sources

Most public domain images are likely to be from US Federal Government sources - especially for modern images.

Resources to be checked and added:

• http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-free-websites-public-domain-images-free-stock-photos/

Challenges - problematic galleries that have been added:

• BurningWell.org - not well indexed by Google (e.g. search for solar - many more turn up by using), and it's almost a certainty that some users will have uploaded copyright images, in spite of the intention of the site.

Challenges - galleries which have not been added:

• http://www.doedigitalarchive.doe.gov/ very restrictive (have to "order" high res images; not indexed by search engines). Asked via @appropedia: "@ENERGY Hi - the images at www.doedigitalarchive.doe.gov are the work of US Federal employees, I presume? I.e. #PublicDomain under US law?"
• https://public.ornl.gov/site/gallery/default.cfm - public domain is implicitly acknowledged in footer, but site appears not to be indexed by Google. (Mostly science research images - some relevant to Appropedia.)
• US National Science Foundation - Multimedia Gallery - not indexed by Google, and its own https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_search.cfm seems to be broken, so the nearly 3000 images can only be viewed by paging through 30 at a time. Limited range of themes - science more than technology

Note the explanations of public domain on the Public Domain Search. Not all images on.gov sites are public domain, for example:

• Anything on state, territory or local government sites.
• Any work done under contract may be under copyright. For example, Los Alamos National Lab's [Photo Galleries] - note that the Copyright, Legal notice claims copyright, which may be justified as the Lab's work is performed under contract rather than as direct employment by the federal government.)

Indexes of US Federal Government galleries. Some will be suitable:

• http://web.archive.org/web/20150512225310/http://www.usa.gov:80/Topics/Graphics.shtml

Included sites

Current sites searched by the PDIS are:

• • .burningwell.org/*
• apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/photographs.cfm* Technology
• www.nrel.gov/data/pix/*
• patapsco.nist.gov/imagegallery/*
• gallery.usgs.gov/*
• digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/landingpage/collection/natdiglib/*
• photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/res/sites/photogallery/*
• www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/*
  • .si.edu/imageDetail.cfm*
• marinelife.noaa.gov/media_lib/*
• www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/*
• images.fws.gov/*
• www.nih.gov/about/nihphotos.htm/*
• www.nibib.nih.gov/publicPage.cfm?pageID=2814/*
• phil.cdc.gov/*

Notes and references