If you're a researcher you perfectly know how difficult it is to ask and obtain permission to use specific images for an essay or a lecture. But it looks like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is willing to come to the rescue of many of us.
Two days ago the Museum announced the launch of the Open Access for Scholarly Content (OASC) initiative: more than 400,000 high-resolution digital images of public domain works in the Museum's world-renowned collection may be downloaded directly from the Museum's website for non-commercial use (including scholarly publications in any media).
This means that researchers, but also students, educators, curators, academic publishers and non-commercial documentary filmmakers from all over the world won't have to ask for any permission from the Museum or pay any fees (whereas in the past, the museum provided images upon request for a fee, and authorization was subject to terms and conditions).
At the moment there are plenty of images relating to costume/fashion as well, with some lovely pictures of historical and traditional costumes, accessories, footwear and jewellery. The images covered by this policy can be easily identified in the collection archives by the acronym OASC.
The number of available images will increase as new digital files are added on a regular basis depending on copyright status, privacy or publicity issues or specific restrictions by the artist, donor, or lender.
Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Met stated in a press release: "I am delighted that digital technology can open the doors to this trove of images from our encyclopedic collection." So, from now on, there are definitely no excuses not to come up with well-researched and visually rich essays.
Image credits for this post
1. Cape, made with a 16th century Ming Dynasty velvet. Second half of the 16th century. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906.
2. Silk doublet, early 1620s. One of only two surviving examples of its type from the 1620s, this doublet followed a fashion that existed barely five years. Pinking, or the intentional slashing of fabric, was a popular decorative technique used to reveal colorful linings, shirts, and chemises. The Costume Institute Fund, in memory of Polaire Weissman, 1989.
3. Silk and goat hair riding coats (ca. 1760 and ca. 1775). Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Alan S. Davis Gift, 1976.
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