Resource Library: Submitting Images
(above: Arthur Frank Mathews, Song of the Sea (The Three Graces), c. 1909, oil on plywood panel, De Young Museum. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)
NOTE: We are not at this time seeking -- and rarely accepting -- submission of materials from nonprofit institutions or other sources for online publication. The following information is provided to acquaint others with previous policy and procedures.
"Images of artworks, people and gallery interiors are welcome to accompany texts via e-mailed jpg images. Please email separate Word (.doc or .docx) text files, or plain text, containing related captions and photo credits. We prefer low resolution .jpg images at 72 dpi, averaging of 350-450 pixels wide for landscape orientation, and an average of 200-300 pixels wide for portrait orientation. Images with expanded width versus height may have width in the 450-650 pixel range. Use as many emails as you wish to send images, especially if the .jpg files are large.
Resource Library suggests that museums submit one exhibition-related publicity image, with accompanying caption, for each 200 words of text in exhibition publicity articles. We publish only publicity images of American representational art objects of informational and educational value, preferring images of works of lesser known artists less likely to be published elsewhere on the Web. We also welcome photos of exhibition-related authors, artists, museum staff members and guests, plus gallery interiors and building exteriors. Please include photo credits where necessary.
Examples of artwork images:
Examples of other images:
We will not accept images intended for publicity use in connection with an exhibition at a particular venue after the exhibition has ended without permission from the copyright holder for post-exhibition publication. We welcome some images in .pdf format to be posted as attachments to an article or essay: They include
Please do not send .gif files or links to Dropbox, "zipped" or "stuffed" files. Also do not send 35mm slides, 4x5 or 8x10 inch transparencies or paper-printed photographs or artworks. Resource Library will not be responsible for damage to them and will not return them to you. Send images by email to:
In an accompanying email please indicate the copyright holder's permission for our online publication of .pdf files containing images of catalogues, brochures or gallery guides.
Images are stored and published online as limited pixel width and height, low resolution, compressed .jpg images in Resource Library to speed download times and, for the benefit of sources, to render images that are arguably safer from some illicit uses than high resolution electronic or paper printing. For further protection from illicit use on the part of viewers or for other reasons, a source may create a .jpg with a white or colored space border under or around the image including descriptive text within the bottom section of the border before submitting the image to Resource Library for publication. Since Resource Library often reduces the size of .jpgs provided by sources, reduction of the size of a submitted image/text .jpg may result in the text being reduced to a size illegible to viewers. For this reason Resource Library discourages sources from sending .jpgs with text within borders of .jpg images. Since images placed on pages within Resource Library can be copied by viewers, sources who do not want there to be an opportunity for viewers to copy images should not submit them. "
Other information
Neither Resource Library or its publisher Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO) charges readers for access to published materials or accepts advertising. No payment is made to copyright owners or any other third parties for materials published by Resource Library. All materials are published online on a permanent basis, subject to our policy on errors and omissions. Please also see how Resource Library differs from paper-printed art publications. Resource Library does not provide to its sources of texts and images paper-printed copies of articles and essays published online. Upon request Resource Library will send an email to a source with directions to the online location of published materials.
When sources submit materials for publication consideration, they must provide contact information for the benefit of readers. Contact information may include email addresses, street addresses, post office box addresses, phone numbers and website URLs. Contact information is published online in the same location as each published article or essay. Resource Library advises readers to contact sources directly concerning questions about published materials and not to contact Resource Library.
From 2003 through 2023 we have been notified of image copyright infringement twice: once in 2009 and another in 2023. In 2009, an artist claimed that we and numerous other organizations published an image without permission. We had received the image from a museum to use for publicity. The claim was resolved favorably to us because of US fair use protections (news reporting / educational / non-commercial) and our negligible financial resources, dampening the claimant's desire for compensation. In 2023 an offshore firm claimed that we used an image without permission. Once again the image was provided by a museum for publicity. Communication between the image owner's counsel and us resulted in learning that the owner was unaware of the claimant or the claim. The firm making the infringement claim, according to the owner's counsel, used the image in question without the owner's permission to present its claim to us for monetary compensation. The owner's counsel furthermore informed us of its intent to pursue action against the claimant. We vigorously repel fraudulent claims.
In 2022 we began posting copyright-free images from Wikimedia Commons into Topics in American Art and America's Distinguished Artists in order to provide further educational context. These images may exceed 600 pixels wide for landscape orientation.
Also of importance are:
The big picture and Text materials within Submitting materials
Content presentation guidelines for more information on captions and photo credits
Acquisition and deselection of content section of the TFAO Free Online Digital Library.
Return to Submitting
materials
About Resource Library:
Resource Library is a free online publication of nonprofit Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO). Since 1997, Resource Library and its predecessor Resource Library Magazine have cumulatively published online 1,300+ articles and essays written by hundreds of identified authors, thousands of other texts not attributable to named authors, plus 22,500+ images, all providing educational and informational content related to American representational art. Texts and related images are provided almost exclusively by nonprofit art museum, gallery and art center sources.
All published materials provide educational and informational content to students, scholars, teachers and others. Most published materials relate to exhibitions. Materials may include whole exhibition gallery guides, brochures or catalogues or texts from them, perviously published magazine or journal articles, wall panels and object labels, audio tour scripts, play scripts, interviews, blogs, checklists and news releases, plus related images.
What you won't find:
User-tracking cookies are not installed on our website. Privacy of users is very important to us. You won't find annoying banners and pop-ups either. Also, our pages are loaded faster without cookies. We want you to view Resource Library content as quickly as possible. Resource Library contains no advertising and is 100% non-commercial. (left: JP Hazeltine, founding editor, Resource Library)
*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:
Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. TFAO neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History.
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