A note on copyright: If you wish to use video, images or other multimedia found online, be sure that it is free of copyright restrictions, that you have permission to use it and/or that it has a Creative Commons license that allows for its use.
Learn about the different Creative Commons licenses. The CC BY license allows for commercial use as long as credit is given to the creator, but please note that not all Creative Commons licenses allow for commercial use. It's important to understand the limitations of the license before sharing or reusing content.
Creative Commons is an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the commons of shared knowledge and culture. Please note the differences between the various kinds of Creative Commons licences.
Access historical collections which exist in digital format. Search for a variety of formats including video, audio, television, images, concerts and more.Â
Most of the images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. If you look directly beneath the image you will see a fair use statement that tells you if the image is public domain or copyright protected.
The digital collections comprise millions of items including books, newspapers, manuscripts, prints and photos, maps, musical scores, films, sound recordings and more. Whenever possible, each collection has its own rights statement which should be consulted for guidance on use.
Smithsonian Open Access provides access to more than 4.9 million 2D and 3D digital items from their collections. This includes images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
