Björn Rohles rohles.net

Public Domain Review Free works in new splendor

Last update: Reading time: 2 minutes Tags: Europa Film Treasures, Flickr Commons, Internet Archive, Library of Congress, National Jukebox, Public Domain

The internet often proves to be a second flowering for historical culture, enticing us with a multitude of discoveries in the public domain – I have compiled a few sources at the end of this article. However, the problem is often: how to find them?

The Public Domain Review: Your guide to the PD universe

This is the question Public Domain Review sets out to answer: providing orientation, highlighting worthwhile content, combining sources. The focus is on detailed articles and short collections, with access to a wide range of online archives, including the gigantic Internet Archive, Flickrs Commons and the Projekt Gutenberg.

The articles include some really interesting discussions about artists – I recommend, for example, the article about the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, an excellent reading piece with audio samples and links to further e-books. You can immerse yourself in it for several weeks if you want. Or just continue with one of the other articles, for example about the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso.

Painting by David Teniers showing a large art collection
Collecting public domain works and making them available to others – thanks to initiatives such as Public Domain Review, the internet is becoming a cultural treasure trove

Credits: Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery in Brussels, c. 1651 by David Teniers the Younger

Less reading material, but exciting treasures are hidden under the collections, which are available as film, images, texts and audio. If the Public Domain Review continues like this, I will soon have to pack up my public domain finds here. Or just join over there. And as is right and proper, the content on Public Domain Review is also freely available under CC BY.

Lest we forget: culture on the internet

The Flickr Commons make historical photographs available to internet users – a few background information on Flickr Commons as well as some treasures such as the Spirit Photography, Daguerreotypes by Southworth & Hawes or works by Beato I have already compiled here. Similar collections of films can be found at Europa Film Treasures (see also my article) or for historical music thanks to the National Jukebox.

[via Nerdcore]