Where Can I Find Public Domain Biblical Art Works

This is a list of websites where you can find pictures, photographs and similar artworks that are suitable for church employ - in slideshows, newsletters, worship aids, etc.

In particular, these websites let y'all observe images that are depression-price, or can be used freely or for not-profit purposes, - though in some cases you must attribute the film every bit requested. This is important because copyright applies to images only the same way that it applies to lyrics and sheet music. So if yous want to use an image, you need to either:

Get permission from the copyright owner (which usually involves paying for the correct to use it), or

Use a picture that is either in the public domain or belongs to someone who has given permission on a general basis (eg with a Creative Eatables licence).

About broken links

If any of these links are not working, exit a message in the Comments box near the lesser of the page, then that alternatives can be found.

Christian spider web-sites and image libraries

Art in the Christian Tradition

This "is a freely available, regularly updated visual paradigm internet resource. Designed for scholars, students, pastors, and religious educators, all of the images may be used for educational and/or religious non-profit purposes." It can be searched past keyword, scriptural reference, persons, icon and various other ways.

Bible Illustrations by Sweetness Media

This is a set of pictures by American illustrator Jim Padgett (1931–2009). They were originally published in the Read'northward Grow Picture Bible, but have now been donated to Wikimedia Commons by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing every bit part of a cooperation projection. Sweet Publishing released these images, which are taken from now-out-of-print Read'northward Grow Film Bible Illustrations (Biblical illustrations by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Ft. Worth, TX, and Gospel Low-cal, Ventura, CA. Copyright 1984.), under new license, CC-Past-SA 3.0.

The are extensive, covering many scenes from the four Gospels and from many other books of both the One-time and New Testaments. Originally drawn for children, for teaching purposes, they are commonly not fine works of high art. But they practise give a physical representation of scenes from Scripture.

Pitts Theology Library

A digital library maintained by a Lutheran college in the USA. Has "more 48,000 images of biblical illustrations, portraits of religious leaders, printers' devices, engravings of church buildings, and other theological topics. They are available for teaching, enquiry, and other non-commercial purposes."

Hermano León Clipart

This collection of images organised by theme and also co-ordinate to the Catholic liturgical agenda was previously hosted by the Spanish Franciscians, notwithstanding information technology is no longer available in that location. Information technology had a statement on one page which translated as "This clipart take been gathered. They are oftentimes used in parishes and Spanish religious communities. We don't know who are their authors." - so perhaps some images are subject to copyright, and this is why the collection is gone. There is yet an associated Facebook page but it has not been updated for some fourth dimension.

Includes a range of blackness and white images that would be simple plenty to be projected onto non-so-keen screens.

Images for apply in Liturgy Programmes

A Flickr image-stream of mainly black-and-white engraving style images for liturgical programmes, collected by American-based traditional liturgical music organization.

Their collection is as well hosted on this website (it may exist more upwards-to-engagement).

Radiant Light

Colour images by Roman Catholic creative person Elizabeth Wang (d 2016), organised by theme: Many Cosmic (Marian) themes are included. Many of the pictures are delicate and have subtle colours - they may not be able to projected well.

Their copyright policy allows use for "non-commercial purposes which are personal or educational or religious" provided some conditions are met.

Bible Illustrations by Gustave Dore

A drove of 241 blackness and white detailed drawings of biblical scenes pastFrench artist Gustave Doré (1832-1883).

No search tool is provided on the site, so apply the search function in your browser to observe references.

The New Bible Symbols

(downloaded file is approx 23 meg - but is searchable)

Illustrated lessons (250 +) made with line-drawings. Published in the United states of america by The John A. Hertel co (1922) then now public domain. They are attributed to artists Grand. Bihn and J. Bealings.

All images are laid out so it is possible to take just function of a lesson past cropping a picture.

La Página de Cerezo Barredo

A drove of works fromMaximino Cerezo Barredo, described as a "liberation painters" (cf liberation theologian) His drawings widely used in Latin American publications without copyrights or royalties, photocopying photocopies until they wear out "... as a true "holding of the Latin American People". Not clear if they actually are gratuitous-employ or not just perchance they are. This collection at present includes a prepare of blackness-and-white miniature images for the liturgical agenda:

Year A
Year B
Year C

Free Bible Images

Downloadable download gratuitous sets of Bible story images for teaching use in PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote or JPEG formats.

The website has a tool for selecting images by the book of the Bible which they relate to.

Illustrations of Gospel Stories by Jerome Nadal, S.J

Woodcuts (blackness and white pictures) from Jerome Nadal's Evangelicae Historiae Imagines ("Illustrations of the Gospel Stories") 1593 and 1595 editions.

Art and the Bible

This is an on-line version of the Rex James Bible, with illustrations.

The works of many artists have been included - you may need to check the copyright status of individual ones.

Symbols in Christian Art and Compages

A collection of symbols and patters. Apply the Index function to search for specific words. Low resolution line drawings or prune-fine art can be taken from the site or email for access to high quality EPS files.

Diocesian.com

This American communications consultancy sells various church resources.

They besides provide a drove of gratuitous clip-art, organised past theme.

ReverandAlly

This English minister makes her religious-themed doodle-drawings freely available for anyone to use. Many are labelled by flavour / event.

Missale

This website presents the Gospel reading for each Sun, based on the Roman Catholic lectionary It's not articulate which state's liturgical calendar it follows - readings are available in English, Dutch and French. These are accompanied by a set of pictures, and many (not all) of these are in the public domain.

Christian Symbols drawn by Rudolf Koch (1876-1934)

Black and white line-drawings of diverse symbols. Not cross-referenced to scripture. This is a subset curated by Fr Felix Merely, and includes a link to a High german-linguistic communication website with the complete collection.

The Bible Revival

A collection of images from many sources, some from the 1800'due south and thus now public-domain. No index, you need to piece of work through the collections manually to observe pictures for specific topics.

Church Galleries

A drove of low-cost (from $2) high-quality colour images, with a search part.

General purpose web-sites and epitome libraries

Google Arts and Civilization Project

This on-line platform gives access to loftier-quality images of art-works that are stored in over 100 participating museums, and has a search tool which lets you find images by championship or topic.

Copyright concerns mean that in general only public-domain images are included in the platform. However that even if the artwork itself is now public domain (eg because the artist has been decease by 100 years or more than), the picture of is is non necessarily public domain - Google's policy says that:

The high resolution imagery of artworks featured on the platform site are owned by the museums, and these images may exist subject to copyright laws effectually the world.

So you may need to check the status of particular images before using them.

Google Image Search

Google is the world's largest search tool - and it works for both words and pictures (which is calls images).

The advanced option of Google Image Search has an pick (currently at the bottom of the page) to choose the Usage Rights: set this to Free to Use or Share

Canva

This graphic design platform has a tool which lets y'all search its gratuitous-use stock photographs. Canva has a big focus on beauty, and was originally a tool to create keen images for social media (it'south however not bad at that, if you don't have other tools bachelor).

There aren't many of explicitly religious photographs - but there are a good number which tin be used to support concepts.

The site likewise has useful tools for general graphic design work, eg colour-combination suggestions, design tips, etc.

The Met

350000 pictures from the collection of the Metropolitan Art Gallery New York . English-language search engine.

Flickr

The search feature of this photo-sharing site lets you choose which license type to await for: eg "No known copyright restrictions"

Afterward searching, you see small versions of the results. Hover the mouse over each one to bring upwards a small speech-bubble in the lower right corner. Click it to open the summary screen: if this says "All Right Reserved" then you aren't immune to employ the photo without getting permission. But if it says "Some rights reserved", y'all tin can click the link to find out what restrictions utilise - ofttimes yous can utilize movie provided yous include a line saying where it came from.

Wikimedia Commons

A library of images and other media files (eg sound) These are all in the public domain, then tin be used without worrying almost permissions.

Artistic Eatables Search

This meta-search tool is like a forepart-door to Creative-eatables licensed content in various other collections.

Some people detect that their quondam search portal is better, because information technology lets you choose which source is searched.

Other special-purpose image-search sites which may accept useful content

Indexing and search-tools in these sites is probable to be less useful for finding images for church-use, unless you have some very specific purposes in mind (eg illustrating creation with infinite photos).

NASA Images

This library of space and astronomy images is free to use provided you:

don't imply that NASA endorses a particular production, and
include a credit-line of "NASA/courtesy nasaimages.org."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

A library of nature-related digital media. All items can be used gratis-of-accuse, but must be attributed.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A library of photos, mostly scientific / nature themed, all available for free with a few restrictions about attribution.

A list of other The states authorities sites

with copyright-complimentary images.

Stock.xchng

A commercial paradigm library: results include both free and premium (paid) photographs.

MorgueFile

A smaller library of photographs, all of which may exist freely used. (The strange proper noun is borrowed from the newspaper industry, and is about past project.)

EveryStockPhoto

A search engine for free photos - withal photos come up from many sources and some are licensed. Afterward searching, select a photo and you can click on the license or attributions link to see details.

Freerange Stock

A library of high-resolution gratuitous-use photographs and vector-based clip-art. You must register to download, only all images are public domain.

Eyekons

An epitome placement and sourcing solution.

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Source: https://www.liturgytools.net/2017/10/find-free-use-pictures-photographs-images-for-church-use.html