So Glad We Met

This week the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that they have put 375,000 images online for use by the public.

Van Gogh's "Road in Etten"

These images have been deemed copyright-free, and may be used for either personal or commercial purposes. Here's where one can get started:

http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/image-resources

I decided to toodle through the website and take a gander.

The collection hosts a wide array of art, including (but certainly not limited to) illuminati from the 12th century, works from major artists like Monet and Van Gogh and ancient Egyptian jewelry. Some of the works are on display in the museum, but many are not accessible to the public. 

The database is searchable by artist and theme. I tried "cats" and got 27,851 results. And 9,925 for "jewelry." Alas, a search for "gnomes" brought up just three -- and only one of them was legitimate. (Their search results seem a little wonky.)

18th Century Porcelain

I'm looking forward to taking an hour or two and exploring their catalogue. At first blush, it is by no means a comprehensive collection of any one artist or media, but rather, an eclectic assortment whose only common thread is the ability to live in the public domain.

See? The internet can be a wonderful place.