Finding Resources: Free to Use & Reuse Primary Source Sets

Free to Use Reuse Primary Source Sets

These primary source sets provide just a small sample of the Library’s digital collections that are free to use and reuse. The digital collections comprise millions of items including books, newspapers, manuscripts, prints and photos, maps, musical scores, films, sound recordings and more.

Click the topic link to access each Free to Use & Reuse set from the Library. Those sets that have related sets of images found on the Library’s Flickr Photostream or sets of Library resources and/or learning resources curated/created by PSN are included in bulleted lists below the associated topic links.

19th-Century Portrait Photos
portrait photos from the C.M. Bell Studio Collection

Abraham Lincoln
highlights from the Library’s collections on Abraham Lincoln

Advertising Food
all kinds of signs advertise food, including buildings

African-American Women Changemakers
educators, activists, artists, and more

Aircraft
images of balloons, gliders, blimps, dirigibles, airplanes, fighter jets, helicopters, and space shuttles

American Revolution and Founding Washington
maps representing cities, battles, and symbols involved in the founding of the United States

Arab Americans
images represent the historical experiences and achievements of Arab Americans, primarily during the early 1900s when many people immigrated from Lebanon and the region known as Syria

Architecture & Design
gorgeous gardens, breakthrough buildings and notable designs

Art of the Book
examples of illustration, binding, and typography from a variety of locations and historical moments

Artists & Photographers
featuring painters, sculptors, photographers, and movie cameras from the mid-1800s to the early 2000s

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
historical images touch on the experiences and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders while living in the United States

Athletes
highlights athletes in more than forty different professional and recreational activities

Autumn and Halloween
activities and scenery from late September through early November

Baseball cards
cards dating from 1887 to 1914

Bicycles
photos and illustrations of bicycles and cycling through history

Birds
images of a variety of our feathered friends across time periods, communities, and places

Birthdays
find inspiration for celebrating birthdays, including gift ideas, festive parties, music, and fireworks.

Bridges
featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs and many more

Cars
images of classic cars, race cars, steam-powered cars & more

Cats
photos, posters & illustrations

Cherry Blossoms
images from Japan and Washington, D.C.

Civil War Drawings
selections from Adolph Metzner Civil War Drawings

Classic Children’s Books
links to read these books online

Colors Tell the Story
colorful pictures in this set, which range from the 1500s to the present day, can add delight to any day or help us visualize historical data

Diners, Drive-ins and Restaurants
highlights architecture, signage, and people at diners, drive-ins and restaurants—one in each state and the District of Columbia

Disability awareness
people with disabilities throughout U.S. history—at work, at play, at school, and advocating for change

Discovery & Exploration
maps that shaped our view of the world throughout history

Dogs
pictures of canines and their humans

Dragons
from more than 2,000 years ago to recent times, these images depict dragons as heroes or villains in book illustrations; mythical figures in dramatic carved shapes; and symbols in posters and cartoons

Families
serious and humorous family portraits and activities concentrates on the 1800s to the 1940s

Farm Life
aspects of life on American farms: landscapes, work, play, and everyday moments from dinner to doctor visits

Films
selection of films from the National Film Registry

Fish & Fishing
traditional, scientific, nostalgic, commercial, and humorous views from the 16th to 21st centuries

Flags and Symbols
showcases a variety of national symbols and flags from ancient times to the present day representing the rich cultures and diverse landscapes of the United States

Flickr Favorites
favorite images selected from the Library’s Flickr photostream

Football
selected images

Friendship

Games for Fun & Relaxation

Gardens
international scenes of flower and vegetable gardens from the 1800s to the present day

Genealogy
family registers, family trees and photos, maps that document land ownership and more

Hats
offers a challenge to see how many of the hats you can match with an occupation, time period, or geographic location

Hispanic Heritage
images represent the historical experiences and achievements of people with Latino and Hispanic roots across the United States

Historic Sites
fascinating perspectives on how sites were designed

Historical Travel Pictures
color images from Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Asia and the South Pacific as they appeared in the 1890s and early 1900s

Holidays
images from the Library’s collections

Horses
scenes from the open range, farms, and cities as well as sports, the military, and recreation

Hotels, Motels & Inns
from Palm Springs to Paris, New York to Norway and all around the world

Ice cream
photos of ice cream parlors, ice cream advertisements and Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream recipe

Irish Americans
includes a variety of primary source types

Independence Day
reflect on how the holiday has traditionally been celebrated and also to discuss the complex history and symbols surrounding American Independence

Jazz Photos
selections from the William P. Gottlieb Collection

Jewish American Heritage
images that represent the historical experiences and achievements of Jewish Americans from the 18th to the 20th century

Kitchens and Baths
this set covers many different settings for these daily activities from the 1500s through the present day

LGBTQ+
portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans represent people who made a difference in many careers and time periods

Libraries
libraries in all shapes and sizes serving their local communities

Lighthouses
American lighthouses primarily from the 1800s and 1900s

Main Streets
images from throughout the United States illustrate the variety of main streets or major thoroughfares in urban and rural America from the 1850s to the 2010s

Maps of Cities
from  individual buildings to panoramic views of large urban areas

Motion Picture Theaters
from classic theaters to beautiful historical film posters to snapshots of American moviegoing life

Native American Heritage
images represent the historical experiences and achievements of indigenous peoples across North America

Natural Disasters
images of avalanches, blizzards, droughts and dust storms, earthquakes, floods, forest fires, heat waves, hurricanes, landslides, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and waterspouts from the 16th to the 21st centuries

Nurses & Nursing
pictures focused on the mid-1800s to mid-1900s showcasing women and men who provided nursing services by caring for the sick and wounded at home and during wars and international relief efforts

Older People
images from the 19th and 20th centuries shows older women and men in formal portraits; scenes at work and at home; as grandparents and veterans; with happiness, sorrow, and determination

Not an Ostrich
photos selected for the Annenberg Space for Photography exhibition “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library

Poster Parade
1890s through the 1960s featuring travel, commercial products, war propaganda, entertainment, and more

Presidential Inaugurations | Presidential Papers | Presidential Portraits 
from the United States

Reading: Books, Maps & More
images that show you can read just about anywhere

Ride the Rails
documents the role of railroads and subways in the history of transportation, primarily in the United States

Roadside America
selections from the John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive

Scientists & Inventors
highlights the work of American scientists and inventors in many fields, primarily from the 1800s to 1900s

Shoes
pictures about making, selling, wearing, shining, repairing, and also needing shoes

Skyscrapers
images from the oldest acknowledged skyscraper to the crowded skylines of the 21st century

Statue of Liberty
from the early fundraising and construction years to the dedication in 1886 and the present day

Swimming
swimming pools, beaches & more summer fun

Teachers & Teaching
this set illustrates the wide variety of school, home, and informal learning environments that brought teachers and students together from kindergarten through college and adult continuing education, primarily in the 20th century

Tennis
equipment, courts, athletes and recreational players

Thanksgiving in History
select primary sources

Travel Posters

Veterans
American veterans throughout history

Weddings
brides and grooms from many different customs and countries in the 18th to the 20th centuries

Where We Live
U.S. housing, including rural, town, and city dwellings that date from the 1800s to the present

Women’s History Month
selected images

Work in America
a wide range of people engaged in jobs from 1977 to 1998

Work Projects Administration (WPA) Posters
selections from the WPA Posters Collection

World War I Posters

Writers and Writing
features notable authors in a variety of fields with connections to novelists, poets, historians, philosophers, reformers, scientists, along with people who overcame challenges in writing