Publicly Available Image Collections

From the National Audubon Society, this resources features over 400 watercolor plates from this landmark 1840 work. Images are high-resolution and downloadable for personal, non-commercial use.

This collection features images from space missions and high-powered telescope observation.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration features a collection of downloadable, high-resolution images related to weather and climate studies.

These copyright-free, public domain collection features images of animals, insects, plants, and other subjects related to agriculture.

Thousands of digitized historical photographs from the BPL's archives.

The DPLA links hundreds of digital collections from universities, museums, and historic archives across the United States. You can search these collections simultaneously for photographs, prints, drawings, and more.

Includes more than 3,000 drawings made between 1750 and 1970. Eye-witness sketches made during the U.S. Civil War are the most frequently used images.

Search the Library of Congress' comprehensive collection of historic prints and photographs.

Hosted by Google, this collection features millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, spanning the 1750s through today.

A closer look at historic photographs from the New York Times archives.

This collection features thousands of images related to pivotal events in United States history.

From their site: "Explore 49,799,857 artworks, artefacts, books, videos and sounds from across Europe."

This collection features over 30,000 downloadable, reusable images that illuminate the natural and cultural history of New Zealand.

Provides access to hundreds of historical United States maps from a variety of collections. Browse by location or category (birdseye, topographic, railroad, etc.)

Explore this digital collection of 3,700 maps. You can also visit the Map Center in person at the BPL's Copley branch, where you can explore their collection of over 200,000 physical maps.

This collection contains more than 150,000 maps, with a focus on rare 18th and 19th century maps of North and South America. It includes atlases, wall maps, globes, and maritime charts ranging in date from about 1700 to the 1950s.

A blog from an antique map dealer in New York. The Gallery and Archive sections provide access to hundreds of antique map images from around the world.

With over 500,000 items, this is one of the oldest and largest collections of cartographic materials in the United States. Resources range from 16th century globes to modern maps and geographic information systems (GIS) layers. A selection of materials is available digitally through this site, and those with a serious interest in either historical or current geographic information are encouraged to visit the Map Collection in-person.

Features links several of the LoC’s digitized historical map collections. Collection topics include historic Afghanistan (Persian empire through the 20th century), Civil War maps, U.S. Indian land cessions, National Parks and panoramic maps.

Provides access to over 180,000 downloadable topographical maps created by the U.S. Geological Survey.

University of Texas, Austin’s comprehensive collection of current and historical maps.