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The best vintage and antique illustrated books in the public domain (with free downloads!)
“There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books.” – C.S. Lewis. As you can probably guess, I’m in the crew that believes old books need to be revisited, celebrated, and referenced far …
7 of the best vintage rose illustrations in the public domain
Ah roses. The MOST classic flower of all, used in design and art in almost every theme and area you can think of. You’ll find them everywhere, from moody, dutch master art, quaint english country garden sketches, and graphic, day of the dead inspired tattoo art. Lucky for us, vintage rose illustrations are abundant in …
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The 12 best vintage bird illustrations in the public domain
12 of the best vintage bird illustrations from the public domain plus a whole gallery of over 800!
Tags: bird of paradise, birds, crow, hummingbird, owls, raven, swallow
14 of the best vintage anatomy illustrations in the public domain – and their gory history!
I think there’s something oddly beautiful about vintage anatomy illustrations, and judging from the demand for them, I know I’m not alone! There is a multitude of uses for the free old anatomy drawings we’ve collected for you. Use them as clip art in a school project, tattoo inspiration, or reference pictures for life drawing! …
Vintage flower illustrations by Jane C Loudon – sci-fi writer and botanical watercolorist
I love love loooove 19th-century botanical illustration! So when I came across this gem in the British Library archive I knew I had to dive right in. And, share these gorgeous vintage flower illustrations with you, of course. Specifically, this vintage flower illustration book “The ladies’ flower garden of ornamental bulbous plants” is all about …
10 of the best vintage Mushroom illustrations available for free download!
Tumbling toadstools! We love ourselves a good vintage mushroom illustration around these parts, and we’ve done our best digging up some true treasure from the public domain to share with you! Mycology – the study of fungus – produced some wonderful artworks in the 19th and 20th centuries. It continues to be a source of …
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7 of the best vintage fairy illustrations by Warwick Goble
Whimsical, magical, ethereal! These are just a few words that sprung to mind when I recently discovered the exquisite work of British illustrator Warwick Goble. I love that my work here gives me an excuse to spend hours going down internet rabbit holes so I can find you guys the most amazing images from the public domain!
Tags: fairy, fairy illustrations, vintage fairy illustrations, warwick goble
Free Halloween Illustrations from the Public Domain
Fall has officially started, which means I’m officially excited for all things Halloween! I thought I’d kick off the season with some free Halloween illustrations from the early 20th-century (plus one from the 19th-century!) These 13 illustrations were curated from the public domain collections of the New York State Library and Archive.org. Pictured above is …
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12 Vintage Easter Greetings & Illustrations
Hey everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Spring. To usher in the new season, I thought I’d dig into my never-ending vortex of vintage media! I fished out 12 vintage Easter greeting postcards and illustrated cards from the early 20th-century. Most of these date to around 1910 or so, all before 1920. You’ll …
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Tags: Easter
26 Vintage Dog Illustrations in the Public Domain
Wow, so who likes dogs? You know I do. I just curated 26 full-color vintage dog illustrations from the 19th-century book, The Illustrated Book of the Dog, published in 1881. You may have seen this book floating around. It’s a pretty popular book in the public domain. You can view and download it in its …
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Tags: 19th century, book illustration, dogs
Vintage Fairy Illustrations in the Public Domain
I’ve been dying to curate a new collection of vintage fairy illustrations. In my experience, they’re not the easiest illustrations to come by in the public domain. At least ones that I’m into anyway. I went on a deep treasure hunt this morning and found these awesome full-color fairy illustrations from vintage ads, children’s books, …
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Public Domain Illustrations of the Great Barrier Reef
The illustrations above capture such marine life as starfish, urchins, corals, and sea lilies. Discover even more public domain illustrations below! Published in 1893 by William Saville-Kent, “The Great Barrier Reef of Australia: Its Products and Potentialities” may seem like a vintage science book at first glance, but it was more of a resource for …
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Tags: sea life
13 Vintage Birthday Images in the Public Domain
Brace yourselves. I went on a serious birthday card archiving binge today! I finally scanned some vintage birthday images I’ve been wanting to archive for a while. These birthday cards date to approximately 1900 to 1910. I also included three vintage birthday die cuts from the late 19th-century. I did my best to clean and …
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Tags: birthday
11 Vintage Advertisements: Food & Beverage
Yep, I’m still hungry after that chocolate post. On the menu today are vintage food and beverage advertisements in the public domain! Aside from antique cookbooks, vintage advertisements are one of the best sources for free food and beverage illustrations. The following advertisements are out-of-copyright and were produced before 1923 by such familiar brands as …
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Tags: advertising