# Public Work

> Search engine for copyright-free public domain imagery and historical artwork

Public Work is a visual search engine built by Cosmos that indexes over 100,000 public domain images from institutions like The Met and the New York Public Library. It lets designers and creators find vintage illustrations, botanical drawings, historical diagrams, and book covers free for unrestricted personal and commercial use. Users can search by keyword or click directly on elements to find visually similar assets.

Website: https://cosmos.so/public-work

## What it is for

- Source copyright-free vintage illustrations and artwork for commercial design projects
- Find historical diagrams and botanical prints for branding or merchandise
- Discover visually similar public domain art by clicking on reference elements

## Features

- Indexes 100,000+ public domain images from The Met, NYPL, and other major archives
- Visual search engine with category suggestions like book covers and botanical illustrations
- Similarity search allowing users to click elements to find related artwork
- Direct image saving and collection management via Cosmos accounts
- Minimalist grid interface tailored for visual exploration

## Pricing

Free to search and download

## Details

- Type: Website
- Category: [Design](https://xiry.app/topics/design.md)
- Open source: no
- Platforms: Web
- For: Designers, illustrators, researchers, and creators looking for vintage and public domain imagery
- Alternative to: Unsplash, Rawpixel, Openverse
- Tags: public domain, stock imagery, vintage, archive, illustrations, art

## Why it was saved

- [@jason_swet, 4 August 2024](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-P44S0RuJA/): Enables creators to quickly browse and download copyright-free historical assets and typography for unrestricted personal or commercial use.
- [@cobo, 10 September 2024](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_vZK38RYl_/): Enables creators to find unique vintage illustrations, historical diagrams, and museum art free for commercial or personal use.

## Compare

- [Alternatives to Unsplash](https://xiry.app/alternatives/unsplash.md)

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Updated 3 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/public-work

Make your own library: Xiry takes your saved reels, tweets, Reddit bookmarks and Watch Later videos, makes them searchable and pulls the useful stuff out, like this library. It's invite-only for now; join the waitlist at https://xiry.app/#waitlist.