Pushkin's drawings

[Margaret Samu]

Dear Robert,

That sounds like a wonderful project. The works are in the public domain
because the author died over 70 years ago--I believe it is a similar
requirement in Russia and between Russia and the US--but in any case,
something from Pushkin's era is definitely in the public domain. But that
fact will not prevent the holder of the images from charging you for
rights. Most institutions do, unfortunately, even though they technically
have no right to do so. It's an issue that art historians are constantly
struggling against, but only a few enlightened museums and libraries have
stopped charging scholars for image publication rights.

You will need to contact the institution that holds the images. If it is
one of the large libraries or archives in Russia, then it already has an
image rights office that you should contact in order to get high-resolution
digital images that can be published. They will have an idea of how much
they will charge for usage rights depending on how widely your publication
is distributed, how many languages, how large the press run, etc. Many
American and European institutions have a set list of fees, but some
Russian institutions charge what they think you can pay. I usually write in
my letter that my publication is for a limited audience of specialists, and
that I will receive no profits from its publication (all true!), then ask
that I be charged only for any photography, not for usage rights. It
sometimes works.

After you are in touch with the image rights office, you'll have to send a
formal letter of request to the zaveduiushchii nauchnoi raboty of the
institution that holds the images with all necessary information about the
publication, then a prilozhenie listing the images you need with any
identifying information (catalogue number, etc.). I'd be happy to send you
a sample off-list, if you like.

Payment can take place by wire transfer, and images are usually sent via an
FTP site such as yousendit.com.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Best regards,
Margaret

=========================
Margaret Samu, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Art History Department
Yeshiva University Stern College for Women
245 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY  10016

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