Any cartoon character whose first cartoon was released before January 1, 1928 is in the public domain. A short list: Little Nemo (1905) Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) Farmer Al Falfa (1915) Bobby Bumps (1915) Mutt and Jeff (1907) Krazy Kat (1913) Koko the Clown (1918) Felix the Cat (1919) Dinky Doodle (1924) Pete (Disney character, 1925) Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927) Keep in mind some of these characters have cartoons or details of their character that are still under copyright. For example Pete didn't become an anthropomorphic cat until 1928 and Felix didn't get his magic bag until the 1950s so those details are still under copyright. And of course, the big one next will be Mickey Mouse on this coming January 1. More on reddit.com

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When you do a search on Google Images (let's say for "wood") you can change the Usage Rights to a couple of different options. You'll find it by clicking on "Search tools". You'll probably want "Labeled for reuse with modification" most of the time. Give it a try right now. There's also a search on the Creative Commons website itself. It will automatically search Google Images with the setting. The Internet Archive may have some things you want. And, of course, if this is a hobby you want to do long term, you might want to look into buying a scanner and digital camera someday. More on reddit.com

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