Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Flickr Foundation

@flickrfdn.bsky.social

1.6K followers 84 following 180 posts

Official account for the Flickr Foundation. We help cultural heritage organizations preserve, share, and sustain their digital images. We make cool toys to help other folks interact with this awesome digital legacy. 🎉 https://flickr.org/

flickr.org

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Dec 14

A pinned post!

This is the official account for the Flickr Foundation, helping cultural heritage organizations preserve, share, and sustain their digital images. And making cool toys to help other folks interact with this awesome digital legacy. 🎉

A small gold and red pin in the shape of a parachute with the word SAFE on it resting on a blue fuzzy background.

2 2 16

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 1d

Help us welcome Rachel L. Frick to our Board! Rachel is a digital libraries and cultural heritage leader with over 20 years of experience in transformational leadership, community building, and ensuring equitable access to information and resources.

www.flickr.org/welcome-rach...

Welcome Rachel Frick to Our Board! - Flickr Foundation

I’m thrilled to join the Flickr Foundation Board, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share why this work matters so much to me.

www.flickr.org

Reposted by Flickr Foundation

Matt Miller @thisismattmiller.com · 1d

New Blog Post.
Library of Congress & Flickr Commons: Analysis of user interactions on 40,000 images
thisismattmiller.com/post/lc-flic...
- Organizing 95K photo comments.
- Viewer to explore user georectified images
- Folksonomy tagging vs LCSH Vocabulary
- Placing into the Wiki* knowledge graph

LC & Flickr Commons

Library of Congress & Flickr Commons: Analysis of user interactions on 40,000 images.

thisismattmiller.com

2 5 7

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 13d

Thank you for spreading the word!

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 13d

As part of the launch of the Data Lifeboat, we will be sharing some examples of Data Lifeboats. The Commons 1k Data Lifeboat is a collection of 1,000 of the most liked and talked about images from Flickr Commons.

You can see the full Data Lifeboat and datalifeboat.flickr.org/showcase

5 5

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 14d

Even great code has some bugs!

Be among the first to try out our new Flickr archiving tool Data Lifeboat, and help us find those bugs! Head over to datalifeboat.flickr.org to get started.

Original images from US National Archives and State Library of NSW on Flickr Commons.

A man in a suit makes an exaggerated - possible exasperated or confused -- facial expression with eyebrows arched and and eyes looking down and to the side.

Three children running and smiling in bug-like costumes that include antennae. Transcript: Calling all bug hunters! Data Lifeboat Alpha Release is live!

5 4

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 19d

This photo of Tatiana Riabouchinska as the Golden Cockerel in Le Coq d'or, uploaded by the State Library of New South Wales captures the magic of Colonel de Basil's 'Original Ballet Russe' during their Australian tour. One of our favorites from the 1,469 new photos added to Flickr Commons this week.

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 21d

Event update: Research Lead Tori McKenna shares a brief recap International Conference of Cyber-Humanities Recap in Florence. www.flickr.org/icch-recap-2...

International Conference of Cyber-Humanities Recap - Flickr Foundation

Our Research Lead, Tori, shares her reflections on a recent conference in Florence, where she detailed the progress on Data Lifeboat alpha and the value of collecting from social media for heritage…

www.flickr.org

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · 28d

What's happening in this photo? A Flickr member shared a story giving context to this photo uploaded by the National Library of Wales: “I was an apprentice tailor in 1955 and that is how we worked - sitting cross legged on the bench - your knee is perfect for shaping shoulders and collars etc.”

A man sits with legs crossed on top of a work bench next to a window with various tailoring tools on the surface around him. He is working on a piece of fabric shaped over his knee.

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Sep 6

Our humble submission to #caturday comes from Schlesinger Library on the History of Women (@rad-institute.bsky.social) in America on Flickr Commons.

A woman at the turn of the 20th century in black period appropriate dress standing on a street with brick wall holds a long haired white cat.

3 17

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Sep 5

A poet's "mugshot" from @cabhc.bsky.social and two men keeping watch over a fairy bridge in County Donegal from the @nlireland.bsky.social were among our favorites of the 1,457 new photos this week on Flickr Commons.

Two men in the distance are atop of naturally created rock bridge that connects two sections of land. The coastline of a body of water can be seen through the arch.

3 9

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Sep 4

We were thrilled to chat with founder & curator of African Style Archive, Tosin Adeosun, and learn about her experience as a digital curator, managing care and loss in user-generated archives, and explore her favorite images from the Flickr Commons.

Read the article: www.flickr.org/african-styl...

An Interview with Tosin Adeosun, Founder & Curator of African Style Archive - Flickr Foundation

A conversation between Tosin Adeosun, Founder of African Style Archive, and the Foundation’s Research Lead, Fattori McKenna. They discuss the complexities of digital-first collecting, how cultural…

www.flickr.org

3 3

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Sep 3

Help us welcome the newest face at Flickr.org! Anna joins us as a part-time research placement where she’ll be supporting us with Data Lifeboat research and potential institutional applications.

Read the introduction at www.flickr.org/welcome-anna/

Welcome, Anna! - Flickr Foundation

Anna joins us from University College London and the Victoria & Albert Museum where she is writing her PhD on technological obsolescence in web-based media. She’ll be supporting us with Data Lifeboat…

www.flickr.org

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Aug 6

What do canned hammed displays, rodeos, and donut shops have in common? They are all part of the culture and history preserved in the Provincial Archives of Alberta of course.

Five women wearing leotards acrobatically pose visually creating a A-frame pyramid by posing on stacked ladders.

An older woman pauses to look at a circular display of canned ham in a grocery store.

A group of women and young girls pose for a wedding photo in a period specific living room. The bride is wearing a white wedding gown holding a bouquet of red flowers and is surrounded by her bridesmaids wearing matching blue dresses.

The corner storefront sign for Dolly Donut is illuminated at twilight, with a billboard peaking out behind it. A few customers can be seen sitting inside.

1 5

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 30

"As a griot telling and carrying stories through the language of photography, film, writing, and music, I am called to multimedia practices that allow me honor and preserve one’s legacy."

Read 2025 Flickr Foundation Research Fellow Oreoluwa Ifamodupe Akinyode's intro www.flickr.org/greetings-or...

Greetings, Oreoluwa! Introducing our next 2025 Research Fellow - Flickr Foundation

Griot, storyteller and multimedia artist, Oreoluwa Ifamodupe Akinyode, joins us as our second Research Fellow of 2025, exploring the interplay of West African studio photography and textile histories…

www.flickr.org

3 5

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 29

We are so excited to welcome our newest Flickr Commons members @bpl.boston.gov and Archives at NCBS!

blog.flickr.net/en/2025/07/2...

Flickr Commons and Flickr Foundation: Widening our Reach in 2025

Flickr Foundation is back and happy to welcome two new Flickr Commons members on board. They’re ready to share their Flickr digital archives with the public so get to know a little more about…

blog.flickr.net

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 22

Today is World Brain Day established by the World Federation of Neurology in 2014. This year's theme is Brain Health for All Ages. Enjoy your brain today and these brainy images from Flickr Commons!

poster shows a drawing of a man in uniform, either military or a sea captain, with a light blue and orange fish on his head. He has his hand to his chin as if pondering an idea.

Medical illustration showing a human head cutaway with numbers and pines pointing to various parts of it surrounded by words in italian.

Drawing of a human brain exposed by retracting the membranes and showing the two cerebral hemispheres separated by the median plane. There is Japanese writing around it

1 1

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 16

In our latest blog post, research lead Fattori McKenna sifted through Flickr Commons for daybooks throughout history to consider what can be gained by keeping a Flickr Foundation daybook.

Image from LSE Library on Flickr Commons.

www.flickr.org/looking-for-...

A man wearing a suit carrying a stack of books looks at a large bookshelf filled with encyclopedias. Behind him a woman is standing reading a book and another man browses the shelf in the distance.

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 14

Jessamyn West, Flickr Commons Community Manager, chats with Flickr user Sarah Beaupre (wakethesun) about her extensive practice in cataloging animals across Flickr Commons images.

Read the full conversation at blog.flickr.net/en/2025/07/1...

Flickr Commons: Curator Conversation with Wakethesun

Flickr user wakethesun aka Sarah Beaupre has taken on an amazing project: finding and classifying every animal and bird in the 1.9 million photos in Flickr Commons. Jessamyn West from Flickr Common…

blog.flickr.net

3 15

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jul 2

Jill Blackmore Evans returns to put forth four principles for enacting Reflective Web Archiving, to deliver a more responsible, equitable and usable web archive for the future.

www.flickr.org/four-princip...

Four Principles for Reflective Web Archiving - Flickr Foundation

Researcher and digital media theorist, Jill Blackmore Evans, returns to propose four novels principles for Reflective Web Archiving, to engender a more responsible, equitable and usable web archive…

www.flickr.org

1 4

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jun 26

Hopping around the Randstad, Flickr Foundation was busy talking data care and digital commons in the Netherlands last week.

Read the full article:
www.flickr.org/flickr-found...

Flickr Foundation goes Dutch! - Flickr Foundation

Flickr Foundation had a busy week last week as we hit up several events in the Netherlands! We were pleased to be invited to the Data Care Workshop, Inclusive Design Leadership Summit and…

www.flickr.org

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jun 24

Here's the whole set, over at Flickr Commons. One of our faves.

www.flickr.com/photos/preus...

100-Year-Old Private Photos Show Two Cool Women Playing With Gender Roles

In a box marked “private”, an amazing collection of glassplates were found 30 years ago, amongst the remnants of the two portrait photographers Marie Høeg (1866-1949) and Bolette Berg (1872-1944). ...

www.flickr.com

1 2

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jun 24

Make Pride 365! Come through @lselibrary.bsky.social‬ with these vintage buttons from the Hall-Carpenter Archives, 1970s-1980s.

Pink badge pin with a bold graphic arrow pointing up at a diagonal with text reading "Gays Against Nazis"

White badge pin with bold red text reading “LESBIANS UNITE.”

White badge pin with green silhouette of a limp-wristed foppish man with a hand on his hip reading “Queens rule OK?”

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jun 19

For Juneteenth we're sharing the Black Women Oral History Project Interviews. Supported by The Schlesinger Library @rad-institute.bsky.social, this project recorded women who made significant contributions to American society in the early 20th century.

Photos: Judith Sedwick.

flic.kr/s/aHsjUYmeH1

Etta Moten Barnett, actress, concert artist, and radio personality, smiling and leaning against and open iron gate in front of a stone building.

Transcript: Project Spotlight. Black Women Oral History Project, 1976-1981 on Flickr Commons

Mother Waddles, ordained minister, pastor, and published author, smiling mid-dance below a sign for Mother Waddles Medical Center.

Pleasant Harrison, accomplished artisan and caregiver, sitting in a home environment, looking into the distance with hands folded on a blue and white patterned table.

A group of portraits including Alice Dunnigan, schoolteacher, political activist, and journalist and Zelma Watson George, sociologist, diplomat, and opera singer Kathleen Adams, teacher and historian. Transcript: Black Women Oral History Project, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in American, see the full gallery on Flickr Commons in the link.

4 6

Reposted by Flickr Foundation

Sebastian Majstorovic @storytracer.com · Jun 11

In 2017 the entire Flickr.com photo archive was almost deleted by its owner Verizon. The @flickrfdn.bsky.social is working heroically to preserve these photos for the next 100 years. They have developed a toolkit called Data Lifeboat which allows anyone to create a Flickr timecapsule. #Europeana2025

Presentation slide. Content: „Preserving social media? Try Data Lifeboat.“
Europeana, 10 June 2025
George Oates, glo@flickr.org

Presentation slide. Contents:
Flickr Commons
17 years old
116 members
1,885,454 photographs
4.58 billion views
347,685 comments
596,754 tags

Presentation slide. Contents: a schema of the Data Lifeboaat tool architecture.

1. Login to Flickr
2. Select photos
3. Get consent
4. Write README
5. Add to ledger
6. Download ZIP file

Presentation slide. Content:
ALPHA COMING SOON!
datalifeboat.flickr.org

3 10

Flickr Foundation @flickrfdn.bsky.social · Jun 18

We are just weeks away from the alpha launch of Data Lifeboat, and are feeling GREAT.

Image from State Library of Queensland on Flickr Commons

Vintage photo of a child in a toy car wearing driving goggles, a hat and white lace neck ruffle text overlayed "Rolling into summer like"

Upside down vintage photo of a child in a toy car wearing driving goggles, a hat and white lace neck ruffle text overlayed "Rolling into winter like."