Public Domain Images Online

Flickr Commons: Southern Methodist University’s Photostream

havealittletalk — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:16:14 +0000

I’m back, finally, with a new post. Here are some examples of the close to 2300 photos Southern Methodist University (SMU) has placed in their Flickr Commons photostream and labeled as having “no known copyright restrictions.” All that is asked is that you “Please cite Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library when using this image file.” Some of the photos also include collection notes and photographer’s names, so it would be best to include those too.

SMU is located in Dallas, TX, and so unsurprisingly a number of their albums feature topics related to Texas and the Southwest. There are lots covering the oil industry, which is probably the most unique feature of this photostream. But there are some albums that go further afield, Alaska in the early 20th century and German trains, for example.

SMU includes this note to accompany its images: “A high-quality version of this file may be obtained for a fee by contacting degolyer@smu.edu.”

Bibliographic material is cut and pasted from the photostream.

One of the oddest things that caught my eye was a series of postcards — postcards! — depicting firing squads, executed bodies, and disposal of the dead from the Mexican Revolution. Who would choose to send such a thing — and to whom? And what would you write: “Wish you were here, right here, right in the line of fire?”

Here’s a mild example.

Triple execution in Mexico

Creator: Horne, Walter H., 1883-1921 Date: January 15, 1916 Place: Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Part Of: Collection of Walter H. Horne photographs, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

I’m not including the worst. I have some taste. But I will tell you where to find them.

This one – a postcard, remember – of a man killed in battle Nov 2, 1915 1/2 mile south of Agua Prieta, Mexico is really horrid, and this of the dead on the battlefield isn’t much better.

Here’s another view of Mexico altogether.

The Observatory, Chichen Itza

Creator: Medellin, Octavio Date: 1959 Place: Yucatan, Mexico

Cite: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

The oil industry has long been interested in Mexico, or so it appears from many of the shots here, including this dramatic one of a oil well fire.

Potrero del Llano No. 4 burning

Date: ca. 1914-1915 Place: Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico

Part Of: Manning Texas and Mexico Collection, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Meanwhile, back in the US:

Climax-Molybdenum Co., Iowa Colony, Texas, rough neck and fish tail bit on drill collar

Creator: Robert Yarnall Richie Date: November 2, 1938 Place: Iowa Colony, Texas

Part Of: Robert Yarnall Richie photograph collection, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Gulf Oil Corp., #1 F. C. C. Unit

Creator: Richie, Robert Yarnall Date: July 15, 1956 Place: Port Arthur, Texas

Part Of: Robert Yarnall Richie Photograph Collection, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Did you know that before Texas was a state it was a nation, the Republic of Texas? Here’s an example of its currency. I’m amused by the Venus figure in the upper left corner. Somehow, I doubt in Texas’s 21st century political climate that its lawmakers would suffer the presence of a nude woman on any document, let alone money.

Republic of Texas $50.00 (fifty dollars) ”redback” note

County of Origin: Travis County Town of Issue: Austin

Currency Type: “Redback” Denomination: $50.00

Bank Issuer: Republic of Texas

Imprint: Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson. New Orleans.; Rawdon, Wright & Hatch New-York.; Engraved by Geo. [W.] Hatch.

Date Issued: May 22, 1839

Vignette: (L) Nude Venus standing. (C) Steamship (three-mast side-wheeler) and sailing ship (brig). (R) Bust of Stephen F. Austin. Lower center: Lone Star seal.

Notes: This ”redback” note was issued in Austin by the Republic of Texas. Redbacks were issued from late 1839 until 1842.

Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

A True Girl of the West.

Creator: Cornish, George Bancroft Date: 1906

Part Of: 101 Ranch and Burroum Ranch, Del Rio, Texas, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Did you ever see The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, a 1972 feature starring Paul Newman and introducing Victoria Principal (later of Dallas fame) and a cast including Ned Beatty, Anthony Perkins, John Huston, Roddy McDowell, Ava Gardner and so on and on? You ought to. It was based on a real Texan.

Judge Roy Bean, Justice of the Peace, Law West of the Pecos Building

Creator: Studer Photo

Part Of: Lawrence T. Jones III Texas photography collection, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Finally, we have this guy, who, it seems, for reasons best known to himself, thought it a fine idea to ride a longhorn steer from Brownsville, TX to New York City.

Ralph Sanders and ”Jerry.” May 12, 1930.

Place: Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas

Part Of: Collection of real photographic postcards of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Flickr Commons: National Archives, UK: Artwork and Illuminations

havealittletalk — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:52:12 +0000

A few examples of the contents of the Artwork and Illuminations collection of the UK National Archive’s photostream on the Flickr Commons.

Chest made to hold the Treaty of Calais, signed between Edward III of England and John II of France. Edward agreed to give up his claim to the throne of France in exchange for the territory of Aquitaine. 1360. http://flic.kr/p/6Gp7WW

Sample Child’s Ration Book. Throughout the 1940s (and for nine years after the end of the war) every man woman and child in Britain owned ration books of coupons for food and clothing. The Ministry of Food’s carefully formulated diet is generally believed to have improved the nation’s health. http://flic.kr/p/5Rc3AD

Unidentified Flying Object sightings. c.1969. http://flic.kr/p/5zY1uM

Central Office of Information’s copy of the official poster advertising the 1948 London Olympics. http://flic.kr/p/5DhZwF

: “A West-End London Street Scene” by Grace Golden. Clearly depicting Regent Street, Golden imagines future post-war prosperity. In reality shoppers had to endure rationing in Britain into the 1950s. c.1945. http://flic.kr/p/5DhZwB

Official war art by W. Krogman, gouache on board. The painting imagines a bombing raid on the German city of Cologne. The city’s cathedral is clearly visible. It survived the war, despite being hit dozens of times by Allied bombs. WWII. http://flic.kr/p/7uWG8n

Print of the royal barge carrying Admiral Nelson’s body along the River Thames from Greenwich to Whitehall. Date: 1806
http://flic.kr/p/5D6Akn

Early Modern Dance: From the New York Public Library on Flickr

havealittletalk — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 02:26:09 +0000

Early Modern Dance: The Denishawn Collection These are from the 68 images in the Denishawn Collection on the Flickr Commons. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn established the Denishawn School in 1915.

Ruth St. Denis in Radha.
Digital ID: DEN_0032V. ca. 1906

Ruth St. Denis in Radha.
Digital ID: DEN_0074V. Sarony, Otto — Photographer. 1908.

Ruth St. Denis in Radha at the housewarming of Frank Haven.
Digital ID: DEN_0090V. ca. 1910

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Egyptian Ballet.
Digital ID: DEN_0183

Digital ID: DEN_0370V. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in an out-of-doors photo, in costume, for National Geographic Magazine, April 1916, reprinted May 1951.. 1915.

Digital ID: DEN_0664V. Ted Shawn in Cosmic Dance of Siva during Ziegfield Follies Tour.. 1928

Haunted Postcards from the New York Public Library and Flickr

havealittletalk — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:33:53 +0000

Something seasonal this way comes: selections from the set “Haunted Postcards,” one of many provided to the Flickr Commons by the New York Public Library:

Look at the kid getting trampled — what a piggy face!

Here’s a lovely couple:

I had not known of this tradition:

Disappointments may follow this test. You’ve been warned:

Flickr Commons: Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands, 2

havealittletalk — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:30:24 +0000

More from the Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands collections in the Flickr Commons.

Winter fashions are featured in one set, Herfst- en wintermode / Autumn- and winter fashion, and winter sports in another:

Wintermode 1914 / Winter fashion 1914

Ski-zeilen / Ski-sailing, ‘Ski-sailing’, a new sport invented in Austria, demonstrated in St. Moritz, Switzerland, January 1938.

Then there are some sets of other nations and places, such as Japan and New York City:

Bedelmonnik / Mendicant. Mendicant with staff, begging bowl and pointed hat. [Photo, hand coloured albumine, from series of 42 prints at Spaarnestad Photo by Felice Beato, Kusakabe Kimbei or Raimund baron von Stillfried. Japan, around 1868-1874.]

Luchtfoto Manhattan / Aerial photograph of Manhattan.
Aerial photograph of Manhattan, New York (10.000 feet). The street pattern is based on the (in those days) revolutionairy parce; pattern of the Dutch municipality Beemster polder.

And then there are a number of images of WWI and WWII; here are some from the First World War.

Eerste Wereldoorlog, mobilisatie. First World War, mobilization, declaration of war: a group of soldiers with a cloth to throw one of them into the air during preparations for the battle at the front. England, 1915

Eerste Wereldoorlog, loopgraven. First World War. A French soldier wearing a kind of armour as protection against flying bullets above the trench. France, 1915.

Eerste Wereldoorlog, oefening Eton College. The Great War. First World War, mobilization, declaration of war: pupils of Eton college exercising in suit and high hat, rifle over the shoulder. England, 1915.

Eerste Wereldoorlog, legerhond sergeant Stubby. The Great War. First World War, United States of America, the American army dog Stubby, rank of sergeant. Stubby died in 1926.

Eerste Wereldoorlog, krijgsgevangenen. The Great War. First World War, Russian army. The Russians teaching the German prisoners of war the cossack dance. The Eastern front, Russia, 1915.

Eerste Wereldoorlog, luchtoorlog. The Great War. First World War. German Taube-plane hunted down by a French plane with a machine gun. France, 1914.

Flickr Commons: Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands

havealittletalk — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 01:12:07 +0000

Here are a few items from the Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands collections in the Flickr Commons.

Can’t get enough of zeppelins and balloons, one of the collections from this source.

Santos-Dumont vaart met een zeppelin langs de Eiffeltoren / Zeppelin passing the Eiffel Tower
SFA003000116

‘Allo Spaceboy!

“Ruimtepak” voor stratosfeerballon / Space suit for stratospheric balloon, 1935

Zeppelin bij Empire State Building in aanbouw / Zeppelin near the Empire State Building under construction. The American airship ZR 3 Los Angeles flying near the Empire State Building under construction. The Zeppelin, built as LZ 126, is accompanied by some blimps. New York, the United States of America, 29 October 1930.

Another collection deals with tobacco:

Smokkelen van sigaretten in een boek /Smuggling cigarettes in a book. Germany, 1932.

Automaat voor brandende sigaretten / Cigarette machine delivering burning cigarettes for a penny. England, 1931.

Another, called Allerzielen, Allerheiligen / All Souls’ Day, All Saints’ Day, features graves.

Graven van Vincent en Theo van Gogh. The graves of the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and his brother Theo [Theodore] van Gogh (1857-1891) at the churchyard in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Photo out of 1927.

Another focuses on “new life”:

Uit ei gebroken kuiken/Chick facing daylight for the first time, 1936.

Inventions, some stranger than others:

Houten badpakken /Wooden bathing suits, supposed to make swimming a lot easier. Haquian, Washington, USA, 1929

Eénwielige motorfiets / One wheel motor cycle. Invented by Italian M. Goventosa de Udine. Maximum speed: 150 kilometers per hour ( 93 Mph).

Gasaanvalbestendige kinderwagen / Gas war resistant pram, England, Hextable, 1938.

The Public Domain Review

havealittletalk — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:19:11 +0000

I’ve been so negligent recently — but here’s something to make it worth your while coming back today. I just found a really interesting looking site, The Public Domain Review, that has all kinds of lovely and useful images, as well as public domain films, text, and audio. Enjoy!

Flickr Commons: National Archives, UK. Famous People.

havealittletalk — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:21:08 +0000

I’ve been neglecting the blog because I moved house, to a new state: a major change. But I’m picking up where I left off.

Here are some shots of famous folks from the 20th Century Photographs set in the National Archives, United Kingdom on the Flickr Commons.

Miss Hepburn on set
“Miss Katherine [sic] Hepburn & Mr. Mike Owen, Manager, taken during the filming of the T.V. Film of ‘The Corn is Green’ “. Bersham Colliery, Wrexham.
http://flic.kr/p/97rxRy

Photographs of Eric Blair (George Orwell) from his Metropolitan Police file. c.1940 http://flic.kr/p/5A2uxN

Princess Elizabeth at a Trooping of the Colour ceremony for her father George VI. c.1950. http://flic.kr/p/5CZRaw

Chamberlain and Il Duce. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain receives the red carpet treatment in Rome from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. January 1939. http://flic.kr/p/5zMp9B

“Lord Baden-Powell, the Chief Scout, at his home, Pax Hill, Bentley, Hants. Close up at ‘personal’ desk in study”. Photograph taken by John Dixon Scott. c. 1926-39. http://flic.kr/p/8t3C1k

Actress and socialite Lillie Langtry photographed by William Downey (1829-1915). August 1885. http://flic.kr/p/8t3C1k

Future Prime Minister Anthony Eden painted while Foreign Secretary by William Little. WWII. http://flic.kr/p/6CwGmS

Signed photograph of General Charles de Gaulle, future president of the French Republic, extracted from a file on the Czech assault on Dunkirk. 1945. http://flic.kr/p/6CwGn1

Flickr Commons: Transportation and Exploration from the National Archives, UK

havealittletalk — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:16:15 +0000

There are hundreds of public domain images in the Flickr Commons contributed by the National Archives of the United Kingdom. There are three collections: Africa Through a Lens; Artwork, Artifacts and Documents; and Photography.

Today’s images are from sets within the Photography Collection.

German Graf Zeppelin flies over St. Paul's Cathedral while on a press visit to London. 1930. http://flic.kr/p/8JJzmx

A British made Cierva Autogiro flies over Manhattan Island. The brainchild of Spanish aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva, the autogyro was developed in the early 1920s. http://flic.kr/p/74b56X

Hiram Maxim's Glider
The Anglo-American inventor of the machine gun, Sir Hiram Maxim experimented unsuccessfully with powered flight during much of the 1890s. In 1911 he established a company to develop military aircraft with Louis Blériot, the first man to fly across the English Channel and engineer Claude Grahame White, one of Britain's first qualified pilots. c.1915
http://flic.kr/p/7hPrmA

Fighter squadron in formation. Photograph from the log book of RAF Squadron Leader B.J.E. Lane. 1940-2. http://flic.kr/p/8t3C1R

Photograph from the Trench Warfare Section of the Ministry of Munitions showing a man wearing breathing apparatus against gas attack. WWI. http://flic.kr/p/5Rc3AV

In the early 20th century sailing ships would compete to be the first to bring a grain cargo from Australia to the UK. Built in 1911 S.V. Passat was the winner of the final race in 1949/50, reaching Penarth, Wales in four months. Its cargo of wheat was destined for the mills of Methodist mill owner and film magnate J. Arthur Rank. http://flic.kr/p/8JJk6r

'With Captain Scott to the South Pole (British Antarctic Expedition)'. Steam Yacht 'Terra Nova' with dogs on Ice at side.'
"This image shows a single frame from the very short (3-4 frame) sections of nitrate film stock accessioned at The National Archives from Herbert Ponting's footage of the Antarctic." c.1911.
http://flic.kr/p/9EMMDe

Flickr Commons: Stockholm Transport Museum

havealittletalk — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:50:36 +0000

These images from the Flickr Commons are in the photostream provided by the Stockholm Transport Museum.

Artificial limbs aren’t what immediately come to mind when thinking of photos from a transportation museum, but they certainly do provide a means of movement.

Aftermath of the second world war. Shop window in London 1946. http://flic.kr/p/aDK9gJ

Also in London, a nice view of double-decker buses.

Victoria bus station in London in 1927.
http://flic.kr/p/agqEGX

Elevator in the London underground. http://flic.kr/p/aDdJii

This next one is interesting: old means facilitating new.

Installation of trolley bus wires with horse-drawn carriage assembly 1944. By Börje Gallén. http://flic.kr/p/ahH4i5

I like how you can see the snow fall in this next shot:

Stureplan, Stockholm in the winter of 1957. By Gunnar Ekelund. http://flic.kr/p/agqFGM

Trams on Stureplan in Stockholm in 1949. By Gunnar Ekelund. http://flic.kr/p/agtqib