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The Metropolitan Museum of Art gives public access to 375,000 images including of Georgia

In this Jan. 12, 2012 photo, visitors to the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, view “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens its dramatic new American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts this month, treasures from the 18th to the early 20th century are bound to captivate the public as never before. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
In this Jan. 12, 2012 photo, visitors to the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, view “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens its dramatic new American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts this month, treasures from the 18th to the early 20th century are bound to captivate the public as never before. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Feb 14, 2017

Have you always wanted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art? You’re in luck, because the gallery is coming to you with more than 375,000 images that are now available to the public.

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The photos were previously online with stipulations, but the collection can now be accessed by anyone with no restrictions on how it’s used.

From paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer to pictures of Egyptians objects and British gentlemen, the public domain portion is about 13 percent of the museum’s 1.5 million artworks.

Museum director Thomas P. Campbell said that one of the goals is to offer audiences with "new resources for creativity, knowledge, and ideas" like the Tate Britain did a few years ago with its GIF series.

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“Our comprehensive and diverse museum collection spans 5,000 years of world culture and our core mission is to be open and accessible for all who wish to study and enjoy the works of art in our care,” he said.

Want a part of history? Find the images online by checking "Public Domain Artworks" on the left-hand column. Then just download them to your computer.

You'll even be able to get your hands on some Georgia archives. There are pictures of Savannah and Atlanta that date back to the Civil War era.

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About the Author

Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.

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