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Finding Images: Guide

Stock image of girl holding a bright light bulb in her hands

Source: Adobe Stock

Selected Sites for Images

There are many sites that offer "free" images, however, some uses may not be allowed. For example, some sites forbid redistributing or reselling images on stock or wallpaper websites or platforms, or portraying identifiable people in a negative, offensive, or degrading way. Images also should not be used with identifiable brands to create a misleading association.

Always read the "Terms of Use" and licensing information before downloading images.

Stock photo of woman eating cereal while holding a cell phone

Credit: Viktor Hancek on picjumbo

Images in the Public Domain

Women's Army Corps by NARA / U.S. Department of State, 1945. Creative Commons. 

Painting of woman with hats by Degas

The Millinery Shop by Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas, 1879/86. Art Institute of Chicago.

Photograph of an abandoned house

Abandoned Dust Bowl Home by Dorothea Lange, 1935/40. Getty Search Gateway.

Painting of trees, landscape by Claude Monet

Bordighera by Claude Monet, 1884. Art Institute of Chicago.

The Sick Child I by Edvard Munch, 1896. Art Institute of Chicago.

Photograph of women in a classroom

"H07830" by Community Archives of Belleville & Hastings County, c. 1920. Creative Commons.

Photograph from the Civil War

A Battery of "Flying Artillery" by Mathew B. Brady, 1862. Getty Search Gateway.

Japanese illustration The Wave

Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai, 1830/33. Art Institute of Chicago.

Illustration of insects and fruit

Insects and Fruit by Jan van Kessel, 1660/65. Rijksstudio.

Historical Photographs and Images

Art in the Public Domain

Design Tips

C.R.A.P. stands for the design principles contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. These principles should be considered when you are using visual elements in a project. The following websites offer tips and more information about design principles and links to design tools and other resources.