The Public Domain Review

What The Public Domain Review actually is

An editorial project that goes digging through open archives and returns with essays on eighteenth-century colour theory, medieval illustrations of elephants drawn by people who had never seen one, or early photographs staged to look like ghosts. Every image it publishes is free to reuse.

Why it is worth your time

Essays are properly researched but the selection is unashamedly odd, so within forty seconds you are learning the history of something you did not know existed.

Common questions

Is The Public Domain Review free?

Yes. The Public Domain Review is free and does not ask you to register or hand over an email address before you can use it.

How long does The Public Domain Review take?

Clear your evening. We warned you. We file it under "Rabbit hole" — the strangest things that ever fell out of copyright.

Does The Public Domain Review work on a phone?

Yes. The Public Domain Review works on a phone as well as it does on a laptop.

What kind of site is The Public Domain Review?

We list it under Deep Archives — long reads and older, stranger knowledge. Essays are properly researched but the selection is unashamedly odd, so within forty seconds you are learning the history of something you did not know existed.