What is the Public Domain?

If a book, song, movie, or artwork is in the public domain, then it is not protected by intellectual property laws (copyright, trademark, or patent laws)—which means it’s free for you to use without permission. As a general rule, most works enter the public domain because of old age. (Stamford University)

What this means for you is that you can download the art for free, then take it to your big box store, have it printed in any size you want, and use it how you would like.

Free Art Sources

Check out a few of these sites for free public-domain art.  It does require a bit of searching, but if you’re in the mood to browse, there are thousands of free art images.

Paul Getty Trust
Unsplash
Wikimedia Commons
Art Institute of Chicago
Yale University Art Gallery
Raw Pixel

Favorite Art

Here is a small collection of my favorites via the public domain.  If you like these photos or want to search for more, click on the links below.  I highly recommend going to the website I provide to download the art to ensure you get the best image quality possible.

Birmingham Museum Trust, Moseley Old Hall, Wolverhampton
Walter Craine, Italian Farmhouse (1871-1873)
J. Howard Iams Chair-Round-A-Bout (1937) Original from The National Gallery of Art
Henry Scott Tuke, Beach Study (1928)
Henry Oswana Tanner, Booker T. Washington (1917)
Francisco de Zurbarán, Still Life
John La Farge, October Hillside, Noonday (1860)
McGill Library, Canada Lynx
McGill Library, Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)