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Sixteen years of Flickr Commons

Today is a big day for Flickr Commons – it’s our 16th birthday! 🎉 🎂

Since January 2008, the Flickr Commons has been a place for cultural heritage organizations to share their unique historical photography collections with a global community of people interested in visual culture, and see how Flickr volunteer researchers can add knowledge and new descriptions to them.

Flickr Commons has grown to include over 100 members in 24 countries, amassing roughly 1.5 million pictures on flickr.com over the past 16 years. And from today you can now delve into all of the organizations who’ve contributed to this vast historical resource in our new, dedicated Flickr Commons Explorer! Not only can you see which organizations take part in the Commons, but also the scale and scope of their collections. Have a look around and let us know how it can be more useful to you!

We’re celebrating in other ways too:

🎈For one day only, we’re taking over Flickr’s Explore page with photos from the Commons (with thanks to Josie and Crystal in the .com team)

Celebrating Flickr Commons 16th birthday with an Explore takeover!

🖼️ We’re featuring the stories of sixteen less well-known gems from the Flickr Commons collection

And no birthday is complete without looking back at the year that’s passed and the year ahead.

A woman blowing out the candles on her birthday cake
U.S. Marine wife Marge Brown blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, from State Archives of North Carolina.

2023: Spotlight on Flickr Commons

We’ve been working hard to breathe new life into the Flickr Commons program after a quiet period.

  • We welcomed Jessamyn West to the Flickr Foundation to look after the Flickr Commons as our Community Manager.
  • Alex Chan joined us as our Tech Lead. They’re building all the new tools to help Flickr Commons partners see inside their Commons collections and measure their impact.
  • We opened a ‘new front door’ for Flickr Commons, a way of exploring all of the Commons members in one place – have a look around!

(This is a screenshot showing you our four newest members, from the Flickr Commons Explorer.)

2024: Growing the Commons community

This year we’re continuing to reconnect with existing Commons members as well as opening the doors to new ones. We’re chuffed to share that we have our first new members coming online very soon: Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County (Ontario, Canada); State Archives of North Carolina (USA); and Port Morien Digital Archive (Nova Scotia, Canada).

You can meet our three newest members on the blog, and, if you’re a cultural institution with a photography collection, do consider joining in. We’d love to hear from you, and we’ve written about how Flickr Commons works and what it means to join.

Generally, we are working to make it easier for cultural organizations to use flickr.com to easily reach a global audience of millions, especially smaller institutions. We’re planning to build tools that support joining the Flickr Commons. That includes resources and workflows for onboarding, member management, and engaging the community of volunteer researchers who use, comment and tag Commons photos. Expect these to be rolled out throughout this birthday year and beyond!

Data Lifeboat begins

We’re also starting a major project this year, called Data Lifeboat, and we’ve enlisted three staff from our Commons member institutions to help with user research: Dr Mia Ridge (Digital Curator, British Library), Alan Renga (Digital Archivist, San Diego Air & Space Museum), and Mary Grace Kosta (Congregational Archivist, Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada). Trevor Owens, who heads up Digital Preservation at Library of Congress, is also on the advisory board so that’s a nice virtuous circle right there since LC was the first Flickr Commons partner back in 2008.

We’re hiring!

We’re excited to announce that hiring our first-ever Archivist: https://boards.greenhouse.io/flickrorg/jobs/5614267

It’s a fundamental role at the Flickr Foundation, designed to help us archive ourselves for future team members, and, of course, help think through the challenge of keeping Flickr visible for 100 years.

If you or someone you know has experience in digital archives and/or visual archives, has a creative streak and a desire to work for a young technologically-oriented nonprofit, we’d love you to apply.

Celebrate with us!

Follow us on your social media platform of choice for more birthday festivities:

16. Just A Cool Bell

The Mingun Bell, in this photograph from the Museum of Photographic Arts from 1873, is the only bell in the world to hold the title of “Heaviest functioning bell in the world” three separate times. It weighs ninety tons. Nothing else, just a cool bell.

Mengoon, The Great Bell, said to weigh 90 tons

MOPA has many other classic photographs of bygone eras and the early days of photography.

Painters on the Brooklyn Bridge Suspender Cables-October 7, 1914

Untitled (Snowflake)

Cigar Factory Girls, Tampa, Florida, Jan.

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, and surprise celebrities.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, books in motion, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

15. Cat Pictures, Mostly

Since the internet is approximately 28% made of cat pictures, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Flickr Commons is a great source for quality archival feline photography. That is, photographs of cats, not by cats. Mostly.

In the Rogue's Gallery (LOC)

Camera with kitten

You may be familiar with Brunhilde.

Brünnhilde (LOC)

But did you know about Tige, the Coolidge’s cat in the White House which went missing (and got found)? The Library of Congress has the full story.

How did this cat make the news in 1924? (LOC)

Jessie Tarbox Beals who was the first published female photojournalist in the US, had a soft spot for cats and the Schlesinger Library has an entire album devoted to her photographs of them.

PC60-9-5

Here’s Jennie, a battleship cat.

WWI 140.B1.F2.7

And two other seafaring felines.

Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910

And Spark Plug, an airplane cat.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" [on plane] (LOC)

And Timmie another Coolidge cat with his friend the canary, Caruso.

TIMMONS, MRS. BASCOMB N. (LOC)

Not all Commons cats are canary chums.

38. "Wot Canary?"

All we know about the cat in this photo was that it was “a dysenteric nuisance but certified non-amoebic.”

William Osler, Willliam Francis, H. A. Lafleur, and W. S. Thayer at Johns Hopkins Hospital

This photograph from the early 1900s shows us that cat toys haven’t changed very much. Nor have cats.

Nurse and a cat

It’s the same in Sweden.

Cat. Raivola

These men were Greek immigrants to Australia, working cutting sugar cane. They posed for this photo with their dog, kitten and accordion.

Cane gang at Childers, ca. 1918

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, prisoners-turned-artists, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

16. Just A Cool Bell

The Mingun Bell, in this photograph from the Museum of Photographic Arts from 1873, is the only bell in the world to hold the title of “Heaviest functioning bell in the world” three separate times. It weighs ninety tons. Nothing else, just a cool bell.

Mengoon, The Great Bell, said to weigh 90 tons

MOPA has many other classic photographs of bygone eras and the early days of photography.

Painters on the Brooklyn Bridge Suspender Cables-October 7, 1914

Untitled (Snowflake)

Cigar Factory Girls, Tampa, Florida, Jan.

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, meeting some photographers, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.

16. Just A Cool Bell

The Mingun Bell, in this photograph from the Museum of Photographic Arts from 1873, is the only bell in the world to hold the title of “Heaviest functioning bell in the world” three separate times. It weighs ninety tons. Nothing else, just a cool bell.

Mengoon, The Great Bell, said to weigh 90 tons

MOPA has many other classic photographs of bygone eras and the early days of photography.

Painters on the Brooklyn Bridge Suspender Cables-October 7, 1914

Untitled (Snowflake)

Cigar Factory Girls, Tampa, Florida, Jan.

We’ve also got stories about Irish folktales, UFO Desks, epic kayaking, caravaning over Christmas, Washington DC oddities and history, decorated war pigeons, community-based photo id-ing, prisoners-turned-artists, tattooing in the 1930s, turkish street photography, aviatrices, books in motion, a cool bell, surprise celebrities, and, of course, cat pictures.

All part of Flickr Commons’ sixteenth birthday.