Desktop Background Images - Antique Black and White Prints

The images on this page are taken from a variety of antique black and white prints. The prints are actually pages from a book on London produced in 1879. Click here to get to the top of this set of background image pages.

Some notes are probably in order:

1. Except as noted, none of the images are distorted (i.e. if your pixels are square then you're seeing the image in the correct aspect ratio).
2. The maps and antique prints are old enough that any copyrights have expired.
3. The images related to my Grandfather's store are of documents which are recent enough to still have copyrights associated with them although I doubt (but don't guarantee) that anyone is likely to try to assert the copyrights.
4. The 1280x1024 images aren't quite the same as the other sizes due to the obvious fact that 1280x1024 is a 5x4 aspect ratio whereas the others are 4x3.
5. The IBM mainframe related images might be Copyright © IBM Corporation although I can't find any copyright notice on the reference cards.

If you use any of these images for commercial purposes or display them on your WWW site, please include a reference back to http://www.bouletfermat.com/backgrounds/ (using the IBM mainframe related images for commercial purposes is probably inappropriate without written permission from IBM).

Speaking of my Grandfather's store, I'm looking for photos, drawings, maps, paintings or any other documentation dealing with Dumas, Saskatchewan, Canada. Please contact me if you've got anything (danny@BouletFermat.com). I suppose that I should add that Dumas had less than 100 people living in it at its peak and, although there's a sign on the highway and a couple of houses left, Dumas doesn't really exist anymore.

Here's an 800x600 clipping from an 1834 print of the British House of Commons. This print was issued to mark the destruction of the House of Commons by fire on October 10, 1834. The entire print can be seen here. The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here. The 1600x1200 version is here.

Here's an 800x600 map of Roman London from a circa 1879 print. This set of images are very slightly distorted from the originals in order to get the aspect ratios right. The original can be seen here. The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here. The 1600x1200 version is here.

Here's an 800x600 wood engraving of a floating dock near Deptford, England. The print is circa 1879 and show the dock as it existed in about 1820. The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here (it's cropped quite differently than the others). The 1600x1200 version is here.

Here's a 587x600 wood engraving of the King's Mews in London as they appeared in 1750. The print is circa 1879 and also shows Saint Martins in the Fields church in the background. This set of images don't have the aspect ratios required to properly fill your desktop screen although they still look pretty good even if a bit of the underlying The 587x600 version is intended for 800x600 screens. The 751x768 version (intended for 1024x768 screens) is here. The 1002x1024 version (intended for 1280x1024 screens) is here. The 1174x1200 version (intended for 1600x1200 screens) is here.

Here's an 800x600 clipping from the lower right hand corner of the previous King's Mews wood engraving. The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here. The 1600x1200 version is here.

Here's an 800x600 architectural detail clipping from the upper left hand corner of the same King's Mews wood engraving. The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here. The 1600x1200 version is here.

Here's an 800x600 clipping from an ca. 1879 print showing "The Old Fish Shop By Temple Bar 1846" (i.e. that's the title of the print): The 1024x768 version is here. The 1280x1024 version is here. The 1600x1200 version is here.