Harry Macdonough (tenor) and Joseph Belmont (bird song) perform Reginald De Koven's "Robin Redbreast" in 1907:

The Public Domain Review

Robin Redbreast (1907)

A song about the rouge chested bird composed by Reginald De Koven, featuring some wonderful whistling to mimic the bird's call.

Happy #StNicholasDay! Born in Patara (in what is now Turkey), the saint known for his secret gift-giving became over time the inspiration for today's figure of Santa Claus. See the visual journey undertaken in our "Pictorial History of Santa Claus" —

The Public Domain Review

A Pictorial History of Santa Claus

Published by Nonesuch Press in 1924, these Genesis-inspired woodcuts by Paul Nash depict the creation of the world as a jerky, frightening cataclysm:

The Public Domain Review

“Light from the Darkness”: Paul Nash’s *Genesis* (1924)

Woodcuts inspired by the biblical Genesis, which depict the creation of the world as a jerky, frightening cataclysm.

Entering the public domain in 2026, in countries with a "life+70 yrs" copyright term: The works of Albert Einstein. More info behind window 3 of our advent-style countdown calendar for works entering the #publicdomain on Jan 1st:

The Public Domain Review

What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2026?

At the start of each year, on January 1st, a new crop of works enter the public domain. Find our highlights of what lies in store for 2026 here.

#PDin2026

Front cover to The Cubies’ ABC, an alphabet book published in 1913 devoted to a satirical takedown of Impressionists, Cubists, Futurists, and all other pretenders to the crown of Art. More here:

The Public Domain Review

The Cubies’ ABC (1913)

A satirical alphabet book mocking Cubists, Futurists, and other masters of modern art.

Between 1905 and 1911, the sheet music covers of Gotham-Attucks Co. — a song-publisher managed by some of the most famous Black writers and performers of the day — revolutionised how Black popular music was shown to the public:

The Public Domain Review

Sheet Music Covers for the Gotham-Attucks Company, ca. 1905–1911

Beginning in 1905, one star-studded song-publishing company would push the aesthetic limits of how Black popular music was shown to the public.

#BlackHistoryMonth

The bloody throes of a boar hunt as a medieval fortress rises like derelict tower blocks in the distance? Must be the festive month of December! The last entry in the Labors of the Months section from the Très Riches Heures manuscript, 15th century:

The Public Domain Review

Labors of the Months from the Très Riches Heures

Images representing the months from probably the most important illuminated manuscript of the 15th century.

Frederic Edwin Church, Aurora Borealis, 1865. Buy as a print here:

The Public Domain Review

Aurora Borealis – Product

Under a dark Arctic sky, polar explorer Isaac Israel Hayes's ship, the SS *United States*, lies frozen in the pack ice at the base of a looming cli...

More images of Aurora Borealis in our post “Firelight Flickering on the Ceiling of the World” https://buff.ly/38dxgft

Over 150 yrs ago, George Perkins Marsh urged his readers to consider the disastrous environmental effects of deforestation, over-mining, and other human actions. Read more about this remarkable thinker and his extraordinary book, Man and Nature (1864)

The Public Domain Review

George Perkins Marsh’s Man and Nature (1864)

Groundbreaking study of humanity’s affect on physical geography by the American statesman, philologist, and conservationist George Perkins Marsh.

From a triptych known as “Cats for the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca. 1847) — a spoof of the popular Japanese prints subject depicting the Edo to Kyoto coastal road. ⠀⁠ Available as a print from our online shop —

The Public Domain Review

Cats for the Stations of the Tokaido Road – Product

This is the first of tryptich of works known as "Cats for the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō", a spoof of the popular Japanese print subject depictng...

#caturday