Amgueddfa Cymru has released over 2000 images into the public domain making them freely available on a new platform, Amgueddfa Cymru Images. This puts Wales at the forefront of open access and on par with global museums such as the Natural History Museum, Smithsonian, Rijksmuseum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Images available to browse on the new platform include galleries of artworks by Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir, historic photographs of people and places, and images of objects from the national collection, all of which have special relevance to Wales. Images on the platform represent the natural world, as well as archaeological, social and industrial history. The wide range of images reflects the breadth of items which are part of Wales’ national collection.
The museum’s Open Access Policy means that anyone can now download medium resolution images from the site free, for both commercial and non-commercial use. This allows them to be freely used whether that be for scholarly research, a website for a local pub, or television and film, all without fees or additional approvals.
Some of the images available through the digital library include the museum’s collection of Blaschka glass models of sea creatures, historic images of the north Wales landscape, and a collection of Monet’s Waterlilies which were bequeathed to the museum by the Davies Sisters. There are also hundreds of images of items reflecting Welsh history and life including lovespoons, clothing and quilts, and many historic images of Wales taken by some of the earliest photographers.
Dr Kath Davies, Director of Collections and Research at Amgueddfa Cymru told us…..
“The national collection belongs to everyone, and we are thrilled to launch Amgueddfa Cymru Images which offers another way we can share the national collection and stories of Wales. We particularly hope that schools and educational institutions following the Curriculum for Wales will use this free tool to support their work, and we look forward to seeing how it will be used.
This is only the beginning. We’re delighted to be launching with more than 2000 images, and will be continuing to add more images to the platform and to digitise new content. We’re also keen to collaborate with other institutions to reach as many people as we can and continue to share and encourage learning and enjoyment through the national collection.”
Amgueddfa Cymru Images can be accessed HERE
