Over the last few years the British Library, has digitised books, manuscripts, and all manner of printed media from their collection. They have compiled over a million images which are released in the public domain so you can use them. Anyone who does collage will enjoy their flickr stream.
They state here on British Library’s site that
We have released over a million images onto Flickr Commons for anyone to use, remix and repurpose. These images were taken from the pages of 17th, 18th and 19th century books digitised by Microsoft who then generously gifted the scanned images to us, allowing us to release them back into the Public Domain.
This amazing resource is fun brouse as there is lots of material that can be used in a collages or be inspiration for designs. Browsing the groups is particularly rewarding but be aware you will get lost as there is a lot to look at! Below are some samples from their site.
Taken from ”Travels in Tunisia. With a glossary, a map, a bibliography, and fifty illustrations”
Image taken from page 12 of ‘Wanderings of a Pilgrim in search of the picturesque, during four-and-twenty years in the East; with revelations of life in the Zenana. By Fānī Pārks’
Image taken from page 221 of ‘Our own country. Descriptive, historical, pictorial.’
Image taken from page 65 of ‘Reprints of Rare Tracts Imprints of Ancient Manuscripts … chiefly illustrative of the history of the Northern Counties: and printed at the press of M. A. Richardson, Newcastle’
Enjoy the find!
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Thanks Sharon