The United States Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov offers a wealth of resources for desktop publishers looking for a vintage or historical look. Much of the Library's holdings have been converted to digital formats and are available online for free download, including many high resolution images suitable for printing with ink jet printers or publishing on blogs or websites. Whether it's the Uncle Sam "I Want You" poster, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, one of Dorothy Lange's depression-era migrant farmer photos or the cover of a Jackie Robinson comic book, you'll be amazed at the resources you can find in the Library of Congress pages to add classic imagery to brochure backgrounds, party invitations or school projects.
Most of the Library's digital collection is available primarily for educational, scholarship and personal use only, but many of the images have reverted to the the public domain because of their age or lack of provenance. The LOC website offers copyright information for each item for viewing as you search so that you can determine whether you are able to use it in your project. Generally, most of the images may be used for non-commercial or personal projects, and public domain items are available for full use. Be sure to read the catalog entries about each item you download to verify the terms of use and to find information for author, photographer or illustrator attribution.
When visiting the Library of Congress website, simply click on the "digital collections" button at the top of the page to begin browsing the vast collection of images. Holdings include digitized photographs, maps, poster artwork, advertisements, manuscripts, ephemera and even sound recordings and motion pictures. Most of the collections have extensive search capabilites, so you can find specific images to match your DTP project theme. The Prints and Photographs, Performing Arts and American History and Culture collections are favorite areas to look, and are each categorized by subject, as well as being searchable by key word.
The Prints and Photographs collection offers a wealth of options including notable photos and posters produced during the Depression and World War II era through the Works Progress Administration. In addition, there are many images of Americana that can add interest to your desktop publishing projects. The section also includes a list of images on popular topics that can serve as a starting place. The Performing Arts collection features theater production psters, sheet music covers and photographs of performances. The American History and Culture collection includes images from all walks of life including advertising, religion, sports, conservation and Native American and African American culture.
If you need a unique, but timeless look for your next DTP project, take time to browse the digital collections of the U.S. Library of Congress website. You won't be disappointed!