Image Collections
Bridgeman, Artstor and VADS are three of the largest image databases to which we have access for educational use. Between them, they provide access to over four million images across many genres and subject areas. You can search them in various ways, including by keyword, location, medium, artist, etc.
All the images are licensed for educational use. For more information about what exactly this means, please check the terms of use.
- Artstor Public CollectionsSearch 1.3 million freely accessible images, videos, documents, and audio files from libraries, archives, and museums via JSTOR. Just click to search for 'images' on the JSTOR search page.
- Bridgeman Education (images) This link opens in a new window
This database provides access to over three million images, including paintings, posters, artefacts and photographs, from galleries and collections worldwide. All images are copyright-cleared for educational use, and cover a wide range of themes.
- VADS (Visual Arts Data Service) This link opens in a new windowOver 140,000 images from a wide range of collections, including paintings, photographs, posters and artefacts across many themes. The images are copyright cleared for UK higher educational use.
We have listed a selection of other major multidisciplinary image collections below.
We have tried to focus on image collections which you can reuse, but for specific details of the terms and conditions, please consult the terms and conditions of the resource in question. Some services provide a mixture of free-to-use images, and others which require a payment or subscription.
- Creative Commons images: findingList of search engines on the Creative Commons site, which includes a number of image collections.
- EuropeanaExplore millions of images, films and other archival material from galleries, museums, archives and libraries across Europe. Search by topic and refine by copyright to find reusable materials. Can also refine to find images, films, audio etc.
- Flickr the CommonsProject to make photographs available online from the archives of cultural institutions around the world.
- GettyGetty, the world's largest photography service, has recently announced it is making most of its collections (35 million photos) available free for non-commercial reuse online and on social media sites, as long as users use Getty's embedding tool, which will insert automatic image credits. Find out more about the background to the decision.
- PixabaySome images and videos on Pixabay are released free of copyright under Creative Commons CC0. Attribution is not required.
- UnsplashAll photos published on Unsplash can be used for free. You can use them for commercial and noncommercial purposes. You do not need to ask permission from or provide credit to the photographer or Unsplash, although it is appreciated when possible.
There is an enormous range of specialised image collections in many different subject areas. Key collections will usually be listed on the Subject Guide for that subject area, but we have also listed a selection below.
For specific details about the use which you can make of the images, please consult the terms and conditions of the resource in question.
Humanities and social sciences
- Beazley ArchiveSir John Beazley's archive, a classical art research centre containing images from classical art, including pottery, sculpture and inscriptions, and a dictionary.
- Bodleian digitised imagesThousands of digitised images from the Bodleian Library, arranged by collection, and covering subjects such as British political history, art, music, and natural history.
- British Cartoon ArchiveDigitised images from the archive's collection of over 150,000 British cartoons from newspapers and other sources, dating back to 1904.
- British LibraryAccessible Flickr e-resource that enables exploration of over 1 million digitised images from the British Library. Copyright status is displayed below each image.
- Historic England imagesSearch thousands of images of English places, buildings and people.
- History of Advertising TrustLargest archive of British advertising in the world.
- Imperial War MuseumsExplore around 800,000 items that tell the story of modern war and conflict, collected by the museum since 1917. IWM offers images of some works in its collection on a non commercial licence, mainly those out of copyright.
- John Johnson Collection This link opens in a new windowFacsimile images of thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera held in the Bodleian Library, including posters, adverts and broadsides from the 18th to early 20th centuries.
- Library of Congress imagesWide range of image collections on topics relating to American history, culture and society. Over one million images available.
- Paul Oliver Vernacular Architecture Library ImagesBrowse more than 20,000 images of vernacular architecture from around the world. These images were taken by Professor Paul Oliver MBE.
- People's ArchiveCrowdsourced photographic archive documenting everyday life in 20th Century Britain.
- RIBApixFree low resolution images from the collections of the British Architectural Library. Use the quick search, browse or subject search to locate images.
- Royal Geographical SocietyThe achievements and experiences of nineteenth and early twentieth century travellers and geographers are translated through the photographs, watercolours, sketches, maps and artefacts they brought back to the Royal Geographical Society, and still held in the RGS archives.
- Royal Shakespeare Company ImagesBrowse a selection of RSC past and present production photos. Images available to download with full information on licensing and use.
- York Museums TrustYork Museums Trust collections cover a vast array of subjects, probably the best known are social history, archaeology and fine art. Images of works in the collection are largely offered on a Creative Commons or Public Domain licence.
Science, technology and medicine
- Anatomy and Physiology Image BankThis collection of images is from The Sourcebook of Medical Illustration (The Parthenon Publishing Group, P. Cull, ed., 1989). The images are “copyright-free as long as they are used for educational purposes
- Geograph Britain and IrelandThe Geograph Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland under Creative Commons licence.
- History of MedicineImages from the History of Medicine (IHM) are from the historical collections of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Here you’ll find image files of a wide variety of visual media including fine art, photographs, engravings, and posters that illustrate the social and historical aspects of medicine dating from the 15th to 21st century.
- Image Gallery GatewayImages from the Genomic Science program and other U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) programs. Also includes archived images from the Human Genome Project and Microbial Genomics.
- Public Health Image LibraryA catalogue of images from the Center for Disease Control. Use by public health professionals, the media, laboratory scientists, educators, students, and the worldwide public for reference, teaching and presentations is encouraged.
- Science MuseumMaterial from Science Museum object and archival collections. Over 285,000 objects and 40,000 archival documents published online. Images available to download with full information on licensing and use.
- Wellcome CollectionOver 115,000 images relating to the history of medicine.
Many major galleries provide searchable access to some or all of their collections, together with additional resources to accompany exhibitions. We have included some of the most notable on the Fine Art Library subject guide. Note that they may be included in the 'art history', 'contemporary art' or 'finding images: gallery collections' boxes, depending on the genre of collection.
For specific details about the use you can make of the images, please consult the terms and conditions of the resource in question.
Newcastle University Library’s Special Collections are rich and varied: they comprise rare books and other printed works and unique archives, dating from the 14th century to the present.
We're adding images to our CollectionsCaptured database regularly, ensuring that this resource expands to cover as many of our collection highlights as possible.
Developments in image searching
Searching for images by keyword can be inaccurate and labour-intensive, as it relies on human indexing and subjective perceptions.
New ways of searching for images, such as Content-based image retrieval (CBIR), enable you to search by other criteria, such as colour, shapes or texture, or even by uploading or drawing your own image. Find out more and explore with the links below:
- Google image searchEnables 'reverse searching' (i.e. by uploading an image or searching for the URL of an image) as well as traditional searching.
- Google advanced image searchFurther search options to refine your search, including by colour, size, file format and reuse options.
- Reverse image searchesTinEye enables you to carry out reverse image searches (i.e. to find out where an image has appeared online).
- Search by colour or imageNew image search engines from TinEye.
You can of course, also search for images using the Google image search engine. However, bear in mind the following:
If you want to copy, use or modify an image you find on Google, you would need to check if you are allowed to do this. This may not be immediately obvious, and/or the information about reuse may be incorrect or unclear. Checking and, if necessary, applying for reuse permission, can be very time-consuming. If you choose our image collections which are licensed for educational use, you'll save yourself time and worry.
Can you be certain of the origin and authenticity of the images you have found? It is very easy to alter images online in all sorts of ways. If you need to be certain you are looking at a faithful digital version of an image, choose one of the specialised databases to which we have access. These will also provide full information about each image (for example, creator, date, location, medium, rights information, etc.)
Searching for images can be a hit and miss affair, as keywords don't always provide the best results. Specialised image databases often have more sophisticated search methods, such as by creator, medium, technique, location, colour, etc.
Google doesn't find everything. Many organisations only make their images available via licensed collections.