The use of Helsinkiphotos.fi service

What can I do in the Helsinkiphotos.fi service?

In the Helsinkiphotos.fi service, you can search for photographs with different search words, browse albums created by the museum or create albums of your own. You can download images on your own device in high resolution, or as smaller versions that are more convenient to use online.

What kind of photographs can I find in the service?

The Helsinkiphotos.fi service includes tens of thousands of photographs related to Helsinki from the 1840s to modern days. The photographs are from the Helsinki City Museum’s collections.

Can I use the service in a language other than Finnish?

Yes, in Swedish and English. However, the descriptions and keywords of the photographs are only in Finnish, which will make searching for photographs difficult in other languages.

What will I get from creating an account in the Helsinkiphotos.fi service?

When you log in, you can create your own albums in the service and add your own favorite images to them.

What do you mean by a high resolution image? How do I know what kind of an image I should download on my device?

A high resolution image can be used in high-quality print products, such as posters. Smaller resolution images are more convenient for online use.

How do I order picture prints?

You can order picture prints using the online form found on City Museum’s website. The delivery time is about a week.

Using the photographs

How much does it cost to download or use the images?

Downloading and using the images is free.

What can I do with the photographs I find from the service?

Almost anything! As long as you remember to credit the photographer and Helsinki City Museum in connection with the photograph, you can use it in a variety of ways. You can share them on social media or use them on your website and in different applications. You can also freely use the photographs in your magazines, gift products or as posters or even wallpaper. The high level of detail in the images allows for research and teaching use. Commercial use of the images is allowed within certain restrictions.

How do I mention the Helsinki City Museum and the photographer’s name in connection with the photograph?

Here’s one way of doing it: 'Photo: Helsinki City Museum / Name of the photographer.' If the photographer’s name isn’t mentioned in the image data, you can simply credit Helsinki City Museum. On Twitter, for instance, it’s enough to mention @kaupunginmuseo / name of the photographer.

Do copyright or the Personal Data Act limit publishing the photographs?

Copyright, the Personal Data Act and Protection of Privacy are taken into consideration when publishing the photographs. In the service, we only publish photographs with copyright agreed upon with the Helsinki City Museum or photographs that are so old that the copyright restrictions no longer apply to them. In addition, certain themes are thoroughly assessed before publishing the photographs online. These themes include photographs of children, nudity or photographs revealing for example private political opinions.

Are there any restrictions on the commercial use of the images?

Yes. For instance, it is prohibited to use portraits or other identity-depicting images in marketing and/or advertising without the person’s consent. In addition, you must always credit Helsinki City Museum and the photographer.

What does it mean that the photographs have been published with a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license?

What does it mean that the photographs have been published with a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license? Answer

I need more information or more photographs

Where can I get more information about the photographs or the history of Helsinki?

You can contact Helsinki City Museum’s Picture Browsery. If you would like to look at specific material or you need other photo archive services, you must book an appointment and reserve the material in advance.

What should I do if I cannot find the appropriate photograph from the Helsinkiphotos.fi service? If the Helsinkiphotos.fi service does not have all your photographs, how can I study the rest?

This service contains practically all of the digitized photographs of the Helsinki City Museum. More photographs are digitized constantly. Thus far, only a fraction of the photographs in the entire museum collection has been digitized. If you can’t find the right photograph from the Helsinkiphotos.fi service, you can contact Helsinki City Museum’s Picture Browsery

Will you add photographs that have not yet been digitised to the service upon request? Is that subject to a charge?

If you need a digital version of a photograph that has not yet been digitized, you can order it from the City Museum’s Picture Browsery. We charge a fee according to the museum price list on digitized photographs. The photograph you order for digitization will possibly be available at the Helsinkiphotos.fi service with a small delay for everyone to see and use.

I think there is an error in an image’s data, whom can I contact?

You can contact Helsinki City Museum’s Picture Browsery.

Where did the City Museum get all these photographs? Whose photographs are they?

The City Museum’s collection has almost one million photographs of Helsinki and the everyday life of its inhabitants from the 1840s until today. New photographs are added to the collection mainly as donations or are taken by photographers commissioned by the museum. The City Museum’s predecessor, the Helsinki Board of Antiquities, began accumulating the collection in 1906. Signe Brander, known for her Helsinki photography, was commissioned to record the changing city in 1907. Brander’s photographs are the foundation of the City Museum’s photography collections.

Is the Finna service still in use? Can I still find images from Helsinki City Museum in Finna?

The photographs of Helsinki City Museum collection are still available in the national Finna service at hkm.finna.fi. In addition to photographs, you can browse the museum’s object collections, from plastic bags to hairdryers and works of art. In Finna you can also find information about the buildings of Helsinki.