Old graphics spice up modern Bible presentations-Jim Klukow

Do you want a distinctively aged look to your blog or Bible presentation? Are you looking for public domain pictures that easily incorporated into your Bible studies, Sunday School lessons, or teaching slides? Here’s a listing of some of the best sites that contain digitized engravings for powerpoint and other presentations.

Reading the Bible in secret as it’s the “forbidden book.”

Why use engravings that are 100’s of years old?

There’s something striking about using classical paintings and old engravings to illustrate your studies and presentations. They are unique and offer insights into Bible stories. Some old pictures are from classically trained and well-known artists. Others are from old illustrated Bibles. All of them offer a different approach and make your lessons memorable.

The sites listed below offer pictures from the 15th-19th-centuries. They are excellent etchings for illustrating Bible main topics, maps, persons, children’s Bible stories, and events. Many come from old illustrated Bible’s designed to help readers understand the stories using Christian art. When you use these pictures in your blog, lessons, or presentations, they add an old historic flair. They can make a talk “pop.”

Most of the pictures are in the public domain. This means you are free to use them. Some digital copies are scanned from the original print versions, especially Universities holdings. This keeps the pages patina colored. Others have been correctly white balanced making them appear as black and white clip art (wood engravings). Use a graphics program to convert the picture into 16-bit grayscale if the source is yellowed. That will cause it to appear with a white or light-gray background. Or, keep the tarnished look. It will add a sense of ancientness to your graphics.

There is a lot to choose from

A lot of people don’t realize it, but Wikipedia has a media version where you can find copies of famous paintings, out of print graphics, and other old pictures. Wikipedia also offers digital copies of specific classical artwork (see Last Judgment example below). And, Flickr.com and Pinterest.com have collections of old engravings of Bible stories and maps. Look up Bible engravings or Bible illustrations to get started on your search for old graphics.

Respect ownership of intellectual property.

It’s important to give proper attribution when you download any pictures for use on your blog or presentation, whether they require it or not. And, make sure you Include the website address, name of the author, and indicate copyright (if that’s required). It’s proper etiquette to recognize sources. This will help if you mistakenly use a graphic that is copyrighted or sold. I usually place attributions in the bottom right corner of a slide or pictures and place it at the end of a blog or article.

I have broken down the sources into four categories: The Art Bible of 1896 (there are various versions), The Picture Bible from 1878, a general category of art and the Bible, and finally sources to look up specific classical paintings. Each of the contacts below is ready for you to search. Just click on the source and start looking for Bible illustrations for your next talk.

Old artwork Bible pictures for websites and teaching slides

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/359695 (This collection includes Thomas Dalziel and other artists from the 19^th century.)

https://thebowyerbiblegospels.wordpress.com

https://wellcomecollection.org/works?query=bible%20pictures

https://www.periodpaper.com/search?type=product&q=bible+stories

http://www.creationism.org/images/DoreBibleIllus (Here you will find engravings from Gustave Dore, 19^th century.)

Specific Classical Artwork

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Judgment

http://www.biblical-art.com (this link wasn’t working at the time of this article but if you can download the images it looks extensive and useful)

https://fineartamerica.com (this is for Tissot James’ biblical artwork, 19^th century)

https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/?type=collection&s=dalziel

There are tons of other sites on the web to explore, but these should fill most of your needs. Unfortunately, some older sites no longer function. And since there are so many sites that offer these graphics as public domain, beware of paying for pictures you don’t have to. Finally, remember to always give credit for the pictures you use. Enjoy!

Picture attributions: From https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/V0048174.jpg/full/full/0/default.jpg, https://thebowyerbiblegospels.wordpress.com, Flickr.com