Landing of Columbus
John Vanderlyn's painting, Landing of Columbus, commissioned in 1836/1837, depicts Christopher Columbus' landing in the West Indies in 1492. Columbus holds the royal banner of Spain, laying claim to the land. He holds a sword in his right hand and his hat lies at his feet. Behind him are the other men who traveled on the voyage, including the captains of the Niña and the Pinta, who carry the banner of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Some of the men kneel on the ground, apparently looking for gold. Ships are visible in the water in the background. To the right, natives of the island — which they called Guanahani and Columbus named San Salvador — look on from the woods.
Public Domain
Public Domain is a copyright term that is often used when talking about copyright for creative works. Under U.S. copyright law, individual items that are in the public domain are items that are no longer protected by copyright law. This means that you do not need to request permission to re-use, re-publish or even change a copy of the item. Items enter the public domain under U.S. copyright law for a number of reasons: the original copyright may have expired; the item was created by the U.S. Federal Government or other governmental entity that views the things it creates as in the public domain; the work was never protected by copyright for some other reason related to how it was produced (for example, it was a speech that wasn't written down or recorded); or the work doesn't have enough originality to make it eligible for copyright protection.