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Question

Antique and vintage content.

Forum|Forum|6 months ago
August 12, 2025
3 replies
229 views

I am the owner of a large collection of antique and vintage visual content. This includes old engravings, postcards, die-cut bookmarks, and private photographs dating back to before 1920. Can I scan and retouch this material and then sell it on Adob Stock, provided that I can sign off on its release?

Can these files be sold on a general basis, or only as editorial content?

Some of the old private photographs were inherited from my family. Not all of these people's identities can be established. The rest were purchased at auctions. Since the photographs range in age from 115 to 160 or even 170 years, I am unable to sign a model release for the individuals depicted.

Best regard,

Lana

[Moderator cured the subject for clarity. Was "wine content"]

Contributors

Abambo

Community Expert

The rest were purchased at auctions.

By @Svetlana304205588bdm

That is an exclusion for Adobe stock.

You may have the right to publish them, but Adobe stock will not accept them. You really need to find a "vintage pictures stock site".

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

S

Svetlana304205588bdmAuthor

Participant

Thabk you!

So I can use all the other material, except for the photos, as long as it's accompanied by the owner's release?

Abambo

Community Expert

Who is "the owner"? I have pictures from my parents collection, and I can't say who the "rightsholder" is. They are in my possession, but still, they can be taken by one of my uncles. They can also be taken by one of the cousins, or their fathers. Or by a neighbor. So I do not really know exactly who the copyright holder is. Are you the copyright holder? Then you can probably try to submit, but they could also be refused for quality issues, as vintage pictures do not meet the quality requirements for today's stock needs.

I could publish them in a commercial book about my father's family, and nobody would complain, buit Adobe would refuse them all on IP violation rights. Owning a physical copy of a picture does not give you any rights on those.

For sure, some would be in the public domain by now, but that also would disqualify using the picture on Adobe stock.

I fear, you need to look at a different site.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

Abambo

Community Expert

No, you can't use them on Adobe stock, for different reasons:

you need to be the proven copyright holder
you need to know exacly who is on the picture, and they need to be proven dead for a long time or you need a model release from them.
the same for the property, you would need a property release.
Illustrative editorial could work with any picture without people in the frame, but also here, you need to be the proven copyright holder, which you probably can't prove.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

S

Svetlana304205588bdmAuthor

Participant

Very sorry. "Antique and vntage content"

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