15 of the Best Photos Smithsonian Just Added to Unsplash for Free
Jeremy Gray·2026-05-29·via PetaPixel
The Smithsonian Institution, a group of 21 museums, 21 libraries, and other institutions and historical landmarks, has brought a curated selection of its massive archive to Unsplash.
“The Smithsonian isn’t just one museum. It’s 21 of them. Plus libraries, research centers, and a zoo. Nearly two centuries of human history, science, art, and culture, all in one place,” Unsplash writes. “And now, a curated selection of that archive is available on Unsplash.”
So far, Smithsonian has added 12 collections featuring 1,000 images to Unsplash, including images from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the famous National Portrait Gallery, and more.
Amelia earhart seated indoors, looking to the side. | Artist: Peter A. Juley, Sitter: Paul Peter Juley, Date: c. 1932, Medium: Gelatin silver print, Record ID: npg_NPG.75.82Three people huddled together in a dark, wooded area. | Group portrait of Fuegians at Otter Bay, Straits of Magellan. Date 1888 From 5″ x 4″ glass negative. Record ID siris_arc_393959A vintage sailing ship on the ocean | United States Fish Commission Schooner “Grampus” circa 1886. From 8″ x 10″ glass negative. Record ID siris_arc_390345Portrait of dr. max einstein in a suit | Artist: Harris & Ewing Studio, Sitter: Albert Einstein, Date: 1921, Medium: Gelatin silver print, Record ID: npg_S_NPG.84.288A sea anemone with translucent tentacles and pink tips. | Actiniaria Record ID: nmnhinvertebratezoology_14846179
The wide-ranging images, which include photos in and of themselves and photos of important archival materials, are all open access, meaning people can freely download and use them. It is a boon for history buffs, students, and people who perhaps are unable to ever visit any of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and libraries for themselves.
A clouded leopard rests on a tree branch. | Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae/Pantherinae, Genus and Species: Neofelis nebulosa, Mammals, Carnivores, Clouded Leopards Record ID: nzp_NZP-20190904_0446SPPregnant woman and child stand in doorway. | Sharecropper’s Wife and Child maker: Rothstein, Arthur, date made: 1935, Object Name: photograph, place made: United States: Arkansas, related event: Great Depression. Record ID nmah_1336140Hand resting on a shiny v8 car wheel. | Georgia O’Keeffe-Hand and Wheel, Artist Alfred Stieglitz, born Hoboken, NJ 1864-died New York City 1946, Date 1933, printed ca. 1945, Record ID saam_2020.1.2Jackie robinson in a dodgers uniform holding a baseball bat. | Jackie Robinson, Artist Robert F. Cranston, 26 Jul 1897 – 1978 Frank Livia, 13 Dec 1915–Dec 1975 Bill Klein, active 1940s–1960s Harry Warnecke, 1900 – 1984, Sitter Jackie Robinson, 31 Jan 1919 – 24 Oct 1972, Date 1949, Record ID npg_NPG.97.135Native American man on horseback, sepia-toned. | Geronimo, Artist: Camillus Sidney Fly, 1849 – 1901, Sitter: Geronimo, c. 1823 – 17 Feb 1909, Record ID npg_NPG.95.117
Unsplash and the Smithsonian note that they are “just getting started” and that more collections and more history are on their way. There is plenty left for Smithsonian to share, as across all its museums and other institutions, its historical holdings eclipse 157 million individual items. That’s a lot of photos.
Louis armstrong smiles, holding his trumpet in a studio. | Louis Armstrong, Artist: Woodward’s Studio, c. 1920 – 1930, Sitter: Louis Armstrong, 4 Aug 1901 – 6 Jul 1971, Date c. 1928, Record ID npg_NPG.2009.54A giant panda resting in a tree among green leaves. | Giant Panda Bei Bei in a tree Keywords Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute,National Zoo,Smithsonian Institution,NZP,Open Access,Open Access/CCO,CCO,Giant Pandas,Bei Bei,Mammalia,Carnivora,Ursidae,Ailuropoda melanoleuca Credit Line Connor Padraic Mallon, Smithsonian’s National Zoo Record ID nzp_NZP-20190612_065CPM-000001Emperor tamarin monkey with prominent white mustache on branch. | Emperor Tamarin Keywords Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute,National Zoo,Smithsonian Institution,Animals,NZP,Open Access/CCO,Open Access,CCO,Mammals,Mammalia,Primates,Callitrichidae,Saguinus imperator,Emperor Tamarins,Monkeys Credit Line Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo Record ID nzp_NZP-20191022_001RPPortrait of Queen Victoria, Artist Unidentified (British), Sitter Queen Victoria, Date 1898, Record ID saam_1906.9.24A sloth hangs upside down from a tree branch. | Athena, Southern Two-toed Sloth Keywords Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute,National Zoo,Smithsonian Institution,NZP,Open Access,Open Access/CCO,CCO,Kingdom: Animalia,Phylum: Chordata,Class: Mammalia,Order: Pilosa,Family: Megalonychidae,Genus and Species: Choloepus didactylus,Sloths,Mammals,Small Mammal House Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute Credit Line Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo Record ID nzp_NZP-20200110_005RP
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