Almost none of the pictures used on the site are mine, except for the photoshops, which are of course based on bits of other people's pictures. They were mostly found on the net and are almost certainly not in the public domain. I imagine the net's breezy attitude to the use of pictures may be a source of annoyance to many of the original creators. I went through a boy-scoutish period of diligently attempting to track down the original sources of pictures I wanted to use and, when I succeeded, e-mailing asking for permission. I only ever got two replies, one of which implied I was some kind of living saint, the other an idiot, for making the effort. Now I don't bother. If you find one of your pictures used on this site and want me to take it down or credit you, please mail me and I will.

By the way people have frequently written expressing their curiosity about the picture of Peter Lorre on the front page. Until now I haven't been able to help as it was something I tore out of a paper years ago, but I've now found out it's a Vanity Fair portrait from 1936, by Lusha Nelson, and depicts him as Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, which he was starring in then. (I haven't seen it but I gather it's modern dress.)

Here's the original:

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media/source/vanity_peterlorre.jpg

From this exhibition:

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibition/5:368/5113/5336



[The above refers of course to the old front page, the current one is Ingrid Thulin and Max Von Sydow in Bergman's 'The Magician'.]



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