Format
All images are jpegs, and can be delivered as .zip files or downloaded directly as jpegs after payment. Image size in megapixels, pixel and inch dimensions, file size, and quality (dpi) can be found under the large preview.
Pricing
Select Price Image icon under thumbnail or above large preview to see the price; all images are between $2-$35. Factors in setting price include: image size or quality, uniqueness, editorial relevance of content, or agreements with our contributors. For more details, go to our Pricing page.
Payment
Select Price image icon, select the size, and add to cart. We use PayPal as our payment gateway for all major credit cards and bank accounts. PayPal is a secure and reliable means of payment. Checks may be accepted from corporate clients at our discretion with prior approval. Contact us if your company wants to set up corporate billing.
Lightboxes
You may create and email lightboxes without a user account. Creating an account allows you to maintain multiple lightboxes (and an account will be needed once purchasing).
Search Tips
There are three ways to find content.
1. The Search pop-up, which uses Boolean operators to help you refine your search. For instance:
Apple Orange or Apple AND Orange will return all images that have both words in the data
Apple OR Orange will return images that have either the “Apple” word or the “Orange” word in their data
OR must be in capital letters
Kid OR Child AND Male will return images of boys (the “AND” is optional)
Search also allows you to select an orientation, and, once you have entered search terms, you also may have the option to limit your search to within the gallery you are browsing.
2. Select the Galleries menu item. View by Featured Collections, or select one of the following browse options: browse by categories (i.e. Health and Medicine), or image type (i.e. Illustrations, or Ads), or major era. After the *Browse galleries are a set of alphabetically ordered featured topics with a handful of selected images (i.e. America at War, Helen Keller, etc).
Galleries are just a subset of our content. You may search within a gallery. On specific topics, your best bet to find what you need is to use the main Search box.
3. Use the form in Contact--we have a lot of great content not yet online.
Other Services
Eon does free research within our web and offline collection. We offer reasonable fees for conducting research outside our collection, and for negotiation of license rights for third-party copyright-protected images.
Eon can also assist you in ordering prints and digital images from government archives, libraries, and museums. If you already know what you want from a given source, we can help you get it as quickly as possible. Some images, such as those from collections of the Library of Congress, can be delivered digitally to you in less than 48 hours (significantly faster than ordering directly from that organization).
Image Use Questions
What exactly do you mean by "royalty-free?" In a nutshell, we (or contributors we represent) own or have cleared all U.S. rights to our collection of images: you may use purchased images in a wide variety of ways, without incurring additional fees and without additional explicit permission from us. Individual images are in the public domain, but we do assert copyright over the collection of images, and our website, as laid out in the site's Terms and Conditions.
Do your images have model or property releases? No. As they are sourced from multiple places, and verified to be in the public domain, such releases have not been obtained. See the next answer for more information on how to determine legality of using images.
Can I publish your images? Eon does not restrict your use. Our collection leans heavily towards images suited for editorial use (for example, to illustrate features or text in newspapers, magazines, books or internet publications). All images are "safe" for editorial use in the United States. Read ahead for international use.
Most images can also be used for commercial or marketing purposes, but it is up to the user to determine whether additional clearances are needed. (For example, if a person is recognizable in an image, even if the image itself is in the public domain, you typically need to have their permission to use the image in a promotional manner. This right continues to be held by the estate of a deceased person for some time.) If your intended use is promotional, and our image display does not explicitly say Model Release or Property Release, it is your responsibility to assess whether your use is allowable. Likewise, if the image includes an existing trademark (for example, an out-of-copyright image of a vintage Coca-Cola bottle), you will need to assess whether your use is in compliance with laws regarding trademarks.
How do I cite or credit your pictures? Given the public domain nature of our content, we can't compel you to credit us. We certainly appreciate it! New business helps us add more content!
If used editorially, please credit Eon Images (or, if used on the web, please use www.eonimages.com). For commercial or advertising use, we prefer that you do not credit us.
I live in England (or Russia, or Argentina....etc); are your images subject to copyright here? All Eon pictures have been assessed to be in the public domain, and thus able to be published, according to U.S. copyright law. While many will meet requirements for foreign publication, use outside the United States is governed by the laws of the country in which you plan to publish. If you aren't sure, feel free to contact us for more details prior to purchase. We will use our original source information and our experience to assist you in determining whether any additional restrictions may apply to your intended use.
What if I think one of your images is still under copyright? Tell us, please! We are firm believers in both the public domain and in the right to honor protected original work. If you have information to aid in accurate assessment and use of content, we want to know.