This in from the Welcome trust (one of the world’s leading libraries of medical history and the human condition) Library Department: ‘Thousands of years of visual culture made free through Wellcome Images’
Over 100,000 images ranging from ancient medical manuscripts to etchings by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Francisco Goya are being made freely available through Wellcome Images. Drawn from the historical holdings of the world-renowned Wellcome Library, the images are being released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence. The images can be downloaded directly from the Wellcome Images website for users to freely copy, distribute, edit, manipulate, and build upon as they wish, for personal or commercial use.
Catherine Draycott, Head of Wellcome Images, says: “Wellcome Images is an invaluable visual resource for anyone interested in themes around medicine and the wider history of health and we are delighted to make our growing archive of historical images freely available to all, and provide the mechanism for direct access to them. We hope that users, both personal and commercial take full advantage of the material available.”
Simon Chaplin, Head of the Wellcome Library, says: “Together the collection amounts to a dizzying visual record of centuries of human culture, and our attempts to understand our bodies, minds and health through art and observation. As a strong supporter of open access, we want to make sure these images can be used and enjoyed by anyone without restriction.”
View them all via WellcomeImages.org
