As a writer building a website, blog, book mockups, social media posts, or even promotional materials, you’ll often need images or illustrations. The easiest, safest route (budget-wise and legally) is to use public domain images or pictures found in free-use collections. Public domain means the work is no longer under copyright (or the creator has waived rights), so you can use it without seeking permission—though attribution is often appreciated. Free-use collections often use Creative Commons licenses (CC0, CC BY, etc.), which allow reuse under various terms. But always read the licensing statement!

Here’s where to look, how to search smartly, and what to watch out for.

Top Resources & Collections

Below is a partial list of reliable sources for public domain or generously licensed images and illustrations:

Resource	What you’ll find	Notes / Tips
Library of Congress – “Free to Use & Reuse”	Photographs, maps, prints, historical documents	Use the rights statement on each item to confirm status. The Library of Congress
Wikimedia Commons	Massive repository of public domain and freely licensed media	Use filters (“public domain” or “free license”) and always check the file page for license details. Wikimedia Commons+1
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Open Access	Over 400,000 public domain images from its collection, free to use	The Met designates many works with CC0 (public domain) status. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Art Institute of Chicago – Open Access Images	Over 50,000 images believed to be in public domain or waived copyrights	They offer downloads and encourage reuse. Art Institute of Chicago
Pexels – Public Domain / Free	A curated selection of high-quality photos under free-use licenses	Not all Pexels images are public domain, so check license per image. Pexels
PublicDomainPictures.net	User-submitted images that are free to use, often public domain	Good place for general themes, landscapes, etc. Public Domain Pictures
Openclipart	Free vector clip art (SVG) with public domain dedication	Great for icons, simple illustrations, diagrams. Wikipedia
Public Work	A search engine aggregating public domain content from sources like NYPL, The Met, etc.	Useful aggregator to find images from multiple collections in one place. Cosmos
Irasutoya	Japanese site of free illustrations by Takashi Mifune	Free for many uses (with some moral rights / usage limits). Check their license carefully. Wikipedia

These are just a few starting points. Many large museums, archives, and national libraries have digitized collections with “open access” or “public domain” images. Also check regional, university, or specialty collections in your subject area, along with the end of this post for a list of additional resources.

Tips for Searching & Vetting Images

Finding images is only half the job. You must ensure they’re truly usable. Here are best practices:

1. Use filters and advanced search tools.
   Many image repositories let you filter by license type (e.g. “public domain,” “CC0”) or year (older than 1927, etc.).
2. Read the rights / licensing statement.
   Even in “free-use” collections, some works may still carry restrictions—attribution required, noncommercial only, or use-within context. Always verify on the image’s unique page.
3. Favor high-resolution images.
   If you’re planning print or large use, you’ll want images with good resolution (300 dpi or high pixel dimensions).
4. Attribution is polite and safe.
   Even when not legally required (public domain, CC0), crediting the source and artist is good practice. It builds goodwill and transparency.
5. Check derivative works & modifications.
   Some images may be based on or include copyrighted elements (e.g. a modern copyrighted design within a public domain background). Be cautious.
6. Maintain a catalog of your sources.
   Save a “source file” or spreadsheet for every image: URL, license, date accessed. If someone later challenges usage, you can prove due diligence.
7. Transform when possible.
   If you crop, recolor, overlay text, or combine images, you are adding your own creative layer. That strengthens your case that the final work is original.

Final Thoughts

Public domain and free-use image sources are a treasure trove for writers who want to enhance their content without legal risk or cost. The key is knowing where to look, how to filter, and how to vet licenses.

Next time you need a header image for your blog, an illustration for a newsletter, or a decorative flourish on your author website, skip the generic paid stock until you’ve explored public domain images first. You might find something more unique, more evocative—and all freely yours to use.

In the meantime, here’s a checklist for public domain image resources:

• Wikimedia Commons hosts only freely licensed images, sound files, and other media. With over 37 million uploaded files, (as of February 2017), it is the largest free “images-only” repository. It contains many public domain images (more than 6.2 million PD or CC0 images). Commons is the primary repository of media for all Wikimedia projects. Media on Commons can be used readily on all Wikimedia projects, just as if the media were uploaded to the projects directly. Media tagged with the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark can be found here: commons:Category:CC-PD-Mark
• Snappygoat.com – 13,990,108 Free Public Domain/CC0 Images from multiple sources. Single search for images from Wikipedia Commons, Pixabay, Flickr, British Library, NYPL and others. Full image downloads without login or restrictions. Includes a meme maker.
• Flickr Public Domain Search – About 6 million Public Domain images (link is to search filtered by “CC0”, “No known copyright restrictions” and “U.S. Gov’t Works”). Includes British Library.
• British Library Over a million images, taken mostly from illustrations in 17th, 18th and 19th Century books, released into the public domain, as announced on the British Library blog. Metadata about the images and the books from which they come is also available for download on Github.
• Pixabay – 850,000 public domain photos, vectors and video footage released under Creative Commons CC0 – free for private and commercial use, no attribution required.
• LibreShot.com – No need to indicate the source / No registration / For commercial use. High-resolution photos in Martin Vorel’s photo blog. Photos from traveling (Mongolia, Thailand, Europe) and animals, plants and nature photos. All pictures are licensed under CC0 – Public domain.
• Gaderinge – A gathering of the best public domain images, free to download. No membership, no restrictions. Organized into many useful categories.
• PublicPhoto.Org – Over 26,000 unique photos with a resolution of up to 4752 x 3168 px free for private and commercial use.
• DrStockPhoto – Large directory of quality public domain photos.
• Dreamstime Public Domain Photos – A large selection of over 2 million public domain and free stock photos.
• PD Photo – Large collection of mostly public domain photos. Read the license for each picture before use; also, model releases may not have been obtained for all photos.
• Life of Pix Images from an advertising agency under the CC0 license for realizing works into the public domain
• OneLeft Media A boutique media studio offering original photographic artwork for bloggers. Free high-resolution photos / No copyright restrictions / No attribution required / Commercial use allowed / 10 new images added every other week.
• Photos Public Domain Thousands of high-quality public domain photographs free for any use, with no restrictions. Collections included are textures, animals, nature, and a variety of stock images for any use, including commercial.
• Pond5 Public Domain project 80.000 photos, videos and sound clips – free for private and commercial use ^[3].
• Viintage.com – Thousands of vintage graphics, ephemera, and vintage advertisements that are in the public domain – free for private and commercial use.
• PDPics.com Public domain photo collection with about 7400 high resolution pictures up to 6000×4000. All images licensed under CC0 license.
• BestPhoto.us – about 2500 free photos in various categories.
• Pexels – more than 2,000 photos and all are under CC0 License so that you can use them everywhere. Even in a business context. They committed to adding 10 photos a day.
• PixZoyd.com – Nice collection of mostly outdoor photos that are Public Domain and Royalty Free under the Creative Commons CC0 – free for private and commercial use, no attribution required.
• Picdrome – growing Public Domain picture collection: no copyright, licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.
• Public-Domain-Photos.com
• 4 Free Photos Public domain images.
• Public Domain Files Public domain pictures and clip art.
• PD Poster Public domain posters.
• RepublicDomain.com is a place for free public domain photos and desktop wallpapers.
• Phototeria.com The site presents a collection of public domain images.
• clker – Easy to search public domain images, directly usable in openoffice.org
• thepublicdomain – public domain images from various sources in one-a-day blog format.
• Free Photos – Small personal photographic collection dedicated to the public domain.
• Public Domain Footage – Public domain archival stock footage and newsreels.
• Open Galleries A community source of free photography, hosting several galleries with photos from all over the world.
• The Public Domain Review – A Blog by the Open Knowledge Foundation to easily access public domain resources.
• Freetems – Public Domain images, graphics and more, free without registration.
• Public Domain Pictures A large collection of high-quality pictures for free. Possibility to contact the authors for original files. (For some photo you have to be “premium membership” a.k.a. you have to pay !).
• FreeStockPhotos.biz A large collection of Public Domain, GNU, Creative Commons & custom licensed stock photos and clip art. (Beware, CC images is not Public Domain).
• Good Free Photos – All public domain pictures of mainly landscape but wildlife and plants as well
• 1 Million Free Pictures – All pictures covering various topics are released into public domain. These pictures are originally created by the owner, therefore these pictures can be used for personal and commercial use.
• Pickupimage.com Large collection of high-quality free stock photos and public domain pictures.
• Unsplash Free (do whatever you want) hi-resolution photos. 10 new photos every 10 days from Crew.co
• Topers Photos A collection of original and edited photos using various photo applications. These photos are dedicated by the creator into the public domain. It does not require credits but a backlink to the photo blog is appreciated.
• skitterphoto.com Daily added free to use and modify photographs, published under Creative Commons CC0 license (no rights reserved).
• duion.com Archive of pictures, mainly for texture-creation, all Images are under CC0 (Public Domain) license.
• Creative Commons.photos Database for Creative Commons Public Domain CC0 licensed Photos.
• My Public Domain Pictures – A growing collection of amateur pictures released into public domain. You can use their pictures for any purpose and they do not require anything in return. Their collection includes travel pictures, pictures of animals and plants, background designs and many more being added every day. They also include a collection of high-resolution public domain pictures segregated according to topics including etchings of public domain pictures. The site also includes macro photography.
• Public Domain Media – Amateur photos released into public domain.
• FreeVintageillustrations.com – Free public domain illustrations, postcards, advertisements, and book illustrations produced before 1923.
• IRegioes – It is a free image bank where you can find pictures of various locations in Brazil.
• Black and white photos – It is a free photo site where you can find all kind of black and white photos.
• Davalign PDI – A growing collection of public domain landscape photographs.
• MarblePics – All photos can be used for personal, commercial or editorial purposes without attribution (CC0 license).
• Freeimages.red – More than 4000 free high quality photos under Public Domain license CC0.
• realgraphy.org – Authentic Non-Stock Photos for Free. Forever.
• SoulPhotos – Continuously growing public domain photo collection, released under Creative Commons CC0 – free for private and commercial use, no attribution required.