The most fascinating images from the New York Public Library’s release of 180,000 copyright-free materials - Quartz

"Copyright law is a thorny thing, and it prevents a lot of people from making new works and having fun. But every once in a while, enough time passes, a lawsuit changes the game, or a big, old institution opens up and dusts off once-restricted or hidden material and lets it out into the public domain. The New York Public Library joins the restriction-free party this week by making 180,000 non-copyright images from its collection available for high-res download. It’s also giving access to its collections’ metadata and making updates to its API to encourage playful games and visualizations. Its trove of old stereoscopic images make great gifs, which you can try for yourself ..."