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Keywords

abbeys abstract advertisements aerial photography aeroplanes agriculture alchemy alice alphabets american civil war american history american presidents american uprising americana amphitheatres anatomy ancient egypt ancient greece ancient greek remains ancient music ancient rome angels anglo saxons anglosaxon remains animals annunciation apple trees apples april aquarius arabic aramaic archery arches architects architecture aries aristocracy armour arrow slits arrows art art deco art nouveau arts and craft movement astrology astronomy auctions august authors autumn axes backgrounds baking balls baptismal fonts bare feet barrels bats battlements battles battlments beaches beards bears beavers bedrooms beds beer bees beggars bells benches bible pictures bibles biblical characters biblical scenes birds birthplaces bishops blackletter blake boars boats book covers bookcases bookplates books bookshops borders boredom bottles bowling bowls bows boxes boys brains bridges bubbles bucolic scenes buildings bulls burial burial mounds bushes busking butlers butterflies cages calendars calligraphic calligraphy camels canals cancer candles cannon cannons capricorn captions captivity cards caricatures carpenter carriages cars cartici cartoons cartouches carts carving castles catacombs caterpillars cathedrals cats cattle caves ceilings celebrations celtic knots celtic knotwork celts cemetaries centaurs ceramic art chains chairs chapels chapterheads chariots charts cherubs chess chests chickadees chickens chidren children chimneys chirch architecture chivalry chocolate christmas chuches church architecture churches churchyards circles cities cityscapes cliffs clip art clipart clocks cloisters clouds cobbles cockerels coffee coins colleges colour columns comenius comfort comics commerce construction contests cooking corners corridors costume costumes cosumes cottages cotumes courtrooms courts courtyards cows crabs creeper creepers crests criminals croquet crossbws crosses crowds crowns crypts cstumes cups daemons dance dances dancing dark darkness death decay december decor decoration decorations decorative elements deer delft deliveries demonology demons deserts design despair devils diagrams dice dickens disguises dogs dolls doors doorways dormer windows doubt dragons drawing drawings dresses dressing drink drinking drolleries druids drums ducks duotones eagles earthworks easter eating eclipses egypt electrics elephants elves emblems embroidery end pieces endpapers engines english reformation engravings entrances envelopes ephemera equinoxes esaels evangelists events examples exteriors eyes faces faience fairies fairy tales falconry fantasy farm machinery farmers farming farms fear feasts feathers february feburary feet fences festivals fields fighting fine binding fine bindings fire fireplaces fires first nations fish flags fleurs de lys floral florated initials floriated floriated alphabets floriated borders floriated initials flowerboxes flowers foliated borders foliated initials fonts food forests foreswyck formal fortification fortifications forts fountains fowl fraktur frames freemasonry frescoes frogs frontispieces fruit fuit full moon funerals furniture gallery games gaming gardening gardens garening gargoyles gates gateways gauges gemini geometric designs george washington gestures ghosts girls gladiators gloomy gluttony gnomes goats goblins gods goth gothic gothic architecture gothic letters government grapes grass graves gravestones graveyards grayscale greek greek architecture greyscale grief gryphons guns hair halls handles hands handwriting harvest hats heads health hearts heaven hebrew hedges helmets heraldry herbals heroes hieroglyphics hills historiated initials history of printing holidays holly hookahs horror horses hospitals hotels hour glasses houses humour humpty dumpty hunting icebergs iconography illuminated manuscripts illumination illustrations illustrations for children illustratoins for children infants initals initials inns inscriptions insects instruments interiors islands ivy jane austen january jesters jesus jewellery jewish history jousting judaism july june keyboards keys kings kitchen implements kitchens knights knobs labels ladders lakes lamps lanterns laurel leaves lawns leaves lecterns leo lettera letterae letterb letterc letterd lettere letterf letterg letterh letteri lettering letterj letterk letterl letterm lettern lettero letterp letterq letterr letters lettert letterth letteru letterv letterw letterx lettery letterz levers libra libraries light lighthouses line art lions lizards llamas lobsters loneliness love lovers machinery mad hatter magic mail manors maps march marriage mary masks mathematics may mediaeval medicine medieval medieval architecture medusa megaliths men mermaids meters mice mills minstrels mirrors misery moats monasteries money monks monograms monsters montains months monuments moon moons mosaics mosques moss mountains mourning moustaces moustaches murder mushrooms music musical instruments musicians mythical creatures mythologial figures mythological creatures mythological figures mythology native americans nativity nature neoclassical nests new year newts night scenes nighttime norman architecture norman england norman remains november nudity nuns nuts objects occult ocean october ocult offices old books old photographs old photogrphs opossums orchards ornament ornamentation ornaments ostritches ovals overgrown owls oxen oysters pagan page elements page imaages page images paint paintings palaces pallettes paneled walls paneling paper parades parks paths patterns peacocks pears peasants pens pentacles people person pews phoenixes photographs pianos pictures of books pigs pikes pillars pipes pisces planets plans plants play playing cards ploughs plumes poems poetry politics ponds portraits postmarks pottery poverty prayer presidents pressed flowers pride printers marks printing prison prisoners prisons processions proverbs pulleys pulpits punishments puzzles pyramids queens rabbits racing rafters rage rags railways rats ravens reading red reflections relaxing religion relign religoin reptiles riding rivers roads robes robots rocks rodents roman coins roman emperors roman remains roman soldiers romance romans rome roofs rooves roses royalty ruins running rural rural elegance rustic borders sacrifice sadness sagittarius sails saint john saint luke saint mark saint matthew saints samples santa claus saxon england scholars schools science scorpio scorpions screws sculpture sculture scythes seals seeds september servants sex shadows shakespeare sheep sheet music shelves shields ships shoes shopkeepers shops shrines sickles sickness siege engines signs silhouettes skeletons sketches skulls slavery slaves sleep snails snakes snow soldiers solstices songs sorrow spears spines spinets spires spirit spooky sport sporting events sports spring squirrels staircases stairs stars statuary statues steam engines steampunk steps stocks stone circles stonehenge stonework storms street scenes streets summer sun sundials sunrises sunsets surprise swans swimming swings switches swords symbols tables tailpieces tarot taurus temples temptation tents terrorism textures thanksgiving thatched cottages thistles thrones tiles time titanic title pages titles tombs tombstones tools topiary torture towers towns townscapes toys trades trains transport travel trees trumpets tudor tudor architecture tudor buildings tudor houses turbans turkeys turrets twigs typewriters typography umbrellas unicorns uniforms unspecified valentine vases vaulting victorian borders victorian costume victorian costumes victoriana victory views villages villas vines violence virgo walking wallpaper walls walrus war warfare warriors watchmen water waterfalls watermarks waves weapons weather weeds wells whales wheels whips white knight widescreen wild flowers windmills windows wine wine making wings winter wizards wolves women woods work workmen wreaths writers writing writrs xmas youth zodiac

What you might find and how to find it

There are 3412 images listed here; most of them in more than one size. The images are mostly scanned from old books, ranging in date from the 1500s up to the 1920s and early 1930s. Most of them are out of copyright, or public domain.

Some common searches:

Castles to find old pictures of castles;

Manors to find pictures of manor houses;

gravestones to find pictures of graveyards or other burial sites;

Here are all the different sorts of things you can search for right now:

Source
Restrict the search to images from a single book. Knight's Old England has the most pictures if you want to try this.
Keyword
Almost all the images have one or more keywords associated with them. This is the best way to search.
Location
Find images showing a particular place, or showing places in a particular area or country. This is probably most useful when combined with keyword.
Image size
This is for people looking for screen backgrounds (desktop images or wallpaper as Microsoft calls it). You can combine it with the wallpaper keyword to get only images that are the same size as common screens. If you want high resolution images e.g. for commercial use, please contact me directly.

Changing the way results are shown

Just the Pix
The normal search mode (Pics and Details) shows thumbnails, descriptions and keywords for each image. If you choose Just the Pix you get images packed closely on the page.
Image Links

In the results you may see some letters or symbols:

+ S L R N

The plus sign (+) will show all images from the same source (the same printed book). The S does the same thing, but using this search interface. The K finds other images with the same keywords. The L looks for other images with the same location. The N looks for images depicting nearby places (e.g. in the same county or region).

Sort order
You can say which result comes first: sorting by source will put all the pictures from a given book together. Newest First will start with the images that were added to this Web site most recently. Most popular will use the number of times each image has been shown in the past few days.
Results per page
You can increase this from 12 to 200 to see more thumbnails on each page of results. The size of your screen and the speed of your network connection will make a difference here!

You can also read about how this search engine works.