Public Work brings openly reusable images from institutions including The Met and New York Public Library into a highly visual search interface. Search normally, open an image’s source, or move through visually related material when words are not enough.
Search wide, then follow the image
Begin with a concrete subject, object or visual style. When one result is close, use the interface to inspect related elements and adjacent images rather than repeatedly rewriting the same text query with increasingly vague adjectives.
Keep the source attached
Open promising material at its contributing institution and record the creator, date, collection and item link. Those details matter for attribution, higher-resolution downloads and checking that a particular file really has the reuse status you need.
Use it as a discovery layer
Public Work is strongest at finding visual leads across collections that would otherwise be searched separately. The museum or library record remains the authoritative place for cataloguing details and any rights statement attached to the object.
Things to know
- An account is promoted for deeper search and saving.
- Public-domain status still needs checking on the source record.
- Search quality and metadata vary between contributing collections.