By Madeleine Muzdakis for My Modern Met | 01/04/2023

Carte-de-visite portrait of Harriet Tubman by Benjamin F. Powelson (1868-1869)

We’re used to museums and libraries releasing hundreds, if not thousands, of images into the public domain, but no other institution has made quite the same splash as the Smithsonian. The world’s largest museum has added even more images from its collection to the public domain, totaling a whopping 4.5 million assets. Available on a platform called Smithsonian Open Access, anyone can download, reuse, and remix these images at any time—for free under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

The database pulls 2D and 3D images, as well as sound recordings and data sets, from the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo. The new additions to the initial 2.8 million assets mark a continuing release of information that opens up a wide range of possibilities for creators. With over 155 million items across all of its collections, the Smithsonian is continually digitizing and adding to the platform. While they are making these resources available, the museum technically disclaims any liability that the asset might have copyright considerations elsewhere or as yet unknown. These efforts are reaching the public: in the last quarter of 2022, 25.7 million assets on the database were viewed by the public.

The Smithsonian is encouraging people to get creative with its images, even asking people to share and tag their work with #SmithsonianOpenAccess. “Being a relevant source for people who are learning around the world is key to our mission,” shares Effie Kapsalis, who is heading up the effort as the Smithsonian’s senior digital program officer. “We can’t imagine what people are going to do with the collections. We’re prepared to be surprised.” Everyone from grad students to historians is jumping on the trend.

So what can you expect to find? A dive into the 3D records shows everything from CAD models of the Apollo 11 command module to Horatio Greenough’s 1840 sculpture of George Washington. To facilitate that content for makers, the Smithsonian is also now on Sketchfab.

Other notable pieces entering into the public domain include a portrait of Pocahontas in the National Portrait Gallery, an image of the 1903 Wright Flyer from the National Air and Space Museum, and boxing headgear worn by Mohammad Ali from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

With so much to explore, what are you waiting for? And while you are at it, check out some of the remixes created using information from Smithsonian Open Access.

Check out some of the 4.5 million pieces of public domain material released by the Smithsonian.

“Pocahontas” copy after Simon van de Passe (after 1615).

Boxing headgear worn by Muhammad Ali (ca. 1973)

1903 Wright Flyer

End Windows from the Living Room Skylights of the Martin House by Frank Lloyd Wright (1904)

Cathedral Window Quilt by Viola Canady.

All images via Smithsonian Open Access.

Related Articles:

New York Public Library’s Rich Digital Collection Has Over 180,000 Images to Download

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Releases 400,000 Hi-Res Images Online to the Public

Read 7,000 Historic Children’s Books for Free in This Online Archive

You Can Download Over 10,000 Vintage Recipes and Cookbooks for Free

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book ‘Street Art Stories Roma‘ and most recently contributed to ‘Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini‘. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.

First published in My Modern Met
https://mymodernmet.com/smithsonian-open-access-public-domain/

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