The Commons

"The Commons: Your opportunity to contribute to describing the world's public photo collections."
http://www.flickr.com/commons/
These collections from institutions and corporations are all published under usage guidelines called "no known copyright restrictions" meaning that they have been unable to locate the copyright owner. These photos are probably public domain. They can certainly be used under fair use guidelines for academic purposes.

The cool thing about this collection of collections is that "the public" are asked to tag the photos to make them more accessible to others.

FYI: At the bottom of the sign in page is this warning:
*Any Flickr member is able to add tags or comment on these collections. If you're a dork about it, shame on you. This is for the good of humanity, dude!!

Identity by Design and NYPL Digital Gallery

I've been thinking a lot lately about design. A new beach house. No money to furnish it. Lots of catalogs, magazines, HGTV and websites have me imagining possibilities. The title of this site grabbed by attention. Identity by Design. How we define ourselves by our clothing and furnishings has always intrigued me. The pictures and text of this Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian exhibit are incredible inspirations. Be sure to click the arrows on the right side of the screen to get the full exhibit--I missed them the first time around. js
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/identity_by_design/IdentityByDesign.html

Also try the incredible images from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. You can even purchase framed or unframed digital copies of these images.

[From the Scout Report]