Public Domain Treasure

The Interwebs just get more interesting all the time: today's special is a new-to-me site for public domain book illustrations.  Wonderful Stuff!

OldBookIllustrations.com

A 12th century half timber house drawn by Viollet-le-Duc

at www.oldbookillustrations.com

The treasure trove of public domain material easy to access via the computer on your desk - or on your lap, or in your hand - is becoming a wellspring of inspiration...  I just wish countries would stop extending and/or enlarging copyright protections to unreasonable limits.  The UK is heading toward a redefinition of copyright that would make it illegal to stick a photo of your (English) sofa on Craig's List.  (Is there Craig's List in the UK?  Maybe not for long!)  HERE's an article on that silliness at BoingBoing.

I'm all for copyright - I copyright stuff myself after all - the rules just need to be fair and sensible.  A family snapshot sitting on its own sofa ought not to be illegal, huh?  Or that for-sale photo either.

(For more on copyright issues, look in my Set Design Archive under, um, "Copyright.")

PS.  That house pictured above?  Torn down.  Like Kitchen Dog Theater's home of 20 years will be.  Don't forget our new-home fund raiser - see blog post below.  
The Deadline Approacheth!

The British Library Images

The British Library just release over a million scanned images to the public domain via Flickr.

Wahoo!

In this digital age easy access to our joint heritage of copyright free images (because expired, because old) is a new Gold Rush.

Quick!  Design something using THESE.

I dibs this one...

Public domain image from Queen Mab, a novel - from the British Library

Meanwhile, my board is red hot (and only partly because it's upstairs in August).  Lotso designing going on.  I'm working out the kinks in placing a set and audience seating in Kitchen Dog Theater's new home, The Green Zone, for the up-coming show The Dumb Waiter.  I spent yesterday evening getting a start on the cheerful-kindergarten/decayed-New Orleans set for Fun House Theatre's A Schoolbus Named Desire.  The set for Lovers and Executioners at Circle Theatre in Fort Worth is building... I spent a few days carving a foam fountain-dolphino for that.  And I'm coming to grips with The Addams Family for Mainstage Irving Los Colinas - first production meeting Friday evening.  (Friday evening?)  Busy, busy.

More Public Domain Images!

The British Museum uploads a million - one MILLION - 1,000,000 images from public domain books..  What a great institution!  Read more HERE.

We're in Gold Rush times Dear Reader.

Cool GIFs

Just found this weirdly cool site with modified public domain images: Flux Machine.

On Copyright and Public Domain

Here's the best statement (okay rant) on public domain material that I've seen lately.  Also kinda funny.  At VintagePrintable.  Here's an excerpt:

"Disclaimer and waiver *sigh*: Vintage Printable can’t guarantee anything in life. If anyone wants an image removed, please send e mail. Also *sigh* no representations or warranties about anything to anyone, including that the images actually are public domain or otherwise have no restrictions on use, or warranties of merchantability or any other kind of warranty. Each user is fully responsible for their own use of these images and recognizes Vintage Printable is not responsible in any way for anything. Users understand that we believe the images are free to use, and are not carriers of some awful computer bug or some other terror that will crash the internets *Sigh*. Of course we can’t guarantee anything, or give any kind of legal, copyright or advice about your life in general, so if you are at all concerned, find your trusted adviser and ask them..."


It's almost as funny as one of my favorite passages of Terry Pratchett in Truth, a warranty for a Gooseberry TM  Disorganizer MKII:


"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability, accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee, imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect of any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other agreement that may be substituted at any time by coming within five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk."


What is with our society anyway? An excess of lawyers?  
Well, there's an obvious cure for that!

Fantastic Images

I've found a new, wonderful site for public domain images  Public Domain Images Online.  How about this one?

woodcut (1472) by Roberto Valturio, Library of Congress