Free Smithsonian Images

Millions of Images Now in Public Domain

The Smithsonian Institution has posted nearly 3 million images online that can be downloaded and used for any purpose, free of charge.

3-D scanned image of a flower above a grid
3-D scanned image downloaded from the Smithsonian open access website, opened in Photoshop.

This is the first time in its 174-year history the Smithsonian has released images into the public domain. It includes material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.

The collection is listed under a Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license, making the images available without copyright – even for commercial purposes.

Visit the Smithsonian Open Access website

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Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images into Public Domain

Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license

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