Vintage tiger ephemera, tiger drawings, photos and more— you’ll find over 2 dozen free vintage tiger images below, and I’ll continue to add to the list as I find suitable candidates.I meet so many amazing artists as this little shop grows, and today’s post is inspired by a chat with one of them.
Why Tigers?
Why not?
When the awesome YouTuber behind Journaling with Jamie mentioned she was looking for India themed things, I immediately thought of Rudyard Kipling, which led me to tigers. And I have a gorgeous bound copy of Just So Stories which I can’t seem to find, but I was able to pull together some tigers, as seen below. (You won’t be terribly surprised to see elephants next week, after hearing the background.
But first, hop on over to YouTube to check out Journaling with Jamie, she uses a lot of our printables and I’m always amazed at what she comes up with. This clever piece uses our Sugarplums kit, but the technique is versatile (I’m stealing it for a Valentine‘s Day project, I think):
Free Tiger Graphics for your Journal or Papercrafts
On to the tigers! This roundup includes a variety of mediums and artwork ranging from new to hundreds of years old. I’m not orderly enough to sort these by date, but there is a huge range to work with. items designed by me are linked for a fast and easy download, free images hosted by others are linked to the source so you can get a high quality download. Most allow commercial use, but you’ll find specific licensing details on the host sites.
Vintage Tiger Printable Postcard
This illustrated postcard is from Britain, dated 1913, it’s interesting to see the publishers mark listed as “in service to the King” instead of “Queen” on the back. Just click the file below for an instant download including several sizes and formats.
Vintage Tiger Ephemera Tiger Cubs from Korea
Head over to Wikimedia Commons to grab a higher resolution version of this public domain image from the mid 1800s. Just click the photo to access their download page.
Vintage Circus Ephemera with Tigers
This piece is also available for use without restriction via Wikimedia Commons, and the file size they have to offer is huge, find it here.
Vintage Book Cover: Tip Top Weekly Featuring a Terrifying Tiger
Head over to the Northern Illinois University to see and download not just the cover, but the full dime store novel/magazine from 1900. Apparently this is public domain booklet part of a series of over 100 volumes, but this is the only one to feature a tiger…
Vintage Tiger Ephemera The Maneater of Calcutta
its easy to forget they’re predators, but according to this bit of vintage Tiger ephemera, this big guy ate over 200 people…That’s likely an exageration, but I think it would be time to move to a tiger free neighborhood, just in case…
Grab the original and an altered file here:
Vintage Book End Papers with Tiger
I’ve mentioned it before, but I adore the Biodiversity Library catalogue on Flickr, this lovely piece is just a small part of their stunning collection. This public domain repository is one of my favorite sites for media that can be used commercially, you can read more about it here.
Vintage Paper Tiger Mask
This piece is heavy duty paper, not plastic, and the eye holes are perforated. If it was a plastic molded mask, I’d expect it to have a pair of plastic striped pajamas, like this one from the 1950s/60s:
but it’s flat paper instead:
Grab a full sized copy here, and use it large for a cover or background or small as an accent:
Vintage Tiger Lily Botanical Print
It may not be an actual Tiger, but it’s vintage, free and Tiger striped, so I’m including this lovely Tiger lily botanical print on the list. Find it free here.
Vintage Public Domain Tiger Photo
Head over to the Riksmuseum to download a high resolution copy of this 1880s photo. While you’re there, take a look at the dozens of other pieces of public domain Tiger art there.
Free Retro Tiger Head Graphic
Creativefabrica is primarily a paid, subscription site, but it also has some nice freebies, like this tiger head graphic. Find a free download here.
Vintage Real Tiger Graphic Photo
I couldn’t figure out why this tiger looked so goofy and surprised, then realized he was from the Natural History Museum, so I guess taxidermy had a long way to go back then? Anyway, find it here, with high resolution downloads in different sizes to choose from.
Vintage Tiger Ornament
Use this tiger emblem for bookplates, on cards and anywhere you need a special touch. This is a free download with commercial use rights from Creative Fabrica.
Vintage Tiger Paper Craft from a French Textbook
This is part of an old French activity or text book for kids, the full piece is several pages long and includes other jungle animals, I'll share the rest in a later post. For now, here's the tiger (with bonus hippo). I suggest printing the vintage tiger paper craft on heavy cardstock, then assembling with tiny brads -- if you sew, you can use small buttons and thread to piece it together if you prefer.
Grab the file containing this and a few other items from the list below.
Simple Tiger Coloring Page for Kids
Sometimes all you need is a simple line drawing or outline, and coloring pages are often a good starting point. Import this into your favorite graphics program or print onto watercolor or heavy paper and you can customize it with color, paint or whatever you like.
Free Tiger Paper Doll with Articulated Limbs
I thought this vintage tiger paper doll was interesting, it is fully articulated, when assembled, even the jaw moves. Make it from different colors of paper (you'll need to print out one for each paper you want to use) or print on heavy cardstock and assemble. Use as an interesting page accent or even a bookmark when done.
The vintage tiger paper doll file is in the zip file below.
Vintage Matchbooks with Tigers
I love the rich reds used here - -and it seems like a universal choice for tiger graphics -- these are from all around the world, but all use similar colors:
Find the full printable file below.
Printable Tiger Mandala Freebie
I love this free printable tiger zentangle -- you can find it on this piece here
Free Public Domain Photo Tiger in the Snow
Just a lovely piece to include in a journal -- make it a tuck spot, pocket or accent, or just use to decorate a page. Find it here on Pexels.
Ancient Tiger Scroll Public Domain
Head over to the RIkksmuseum to download this stunning vintage painted scroll -- then stick around to see dozens of other tigers in print. Most are public domain and can be downloaded immediately:
Free Printable Tiger Kids Craft
If the kids are creating with you -- or you want them to-- this cute printable tiger craft from the Simple Mom Project is the perfect match. They can practice coloring, cutting and assembly while you work on another creative project.
Public Domain Vintage Tiger Image
Find this public domain tiger image on RawPixel -- you can click through and get a high resolution image you can use for just about anything:
https://www.rawpixel.com/image/3004521/free-illustration-image-landscape-vintage-animal
Vintage Tiger Coloring Book Image
From a vintage coloring book, the original is pretty brittle but it has an interesting style, so I'm including it here as well. This is in the linked file below.
Victorian Tiger Ephemera
Find this and other pieces of vintage tiger ephemera at the Graphics Fairy, there is a set of tigers in their free library, found here.
Vintage Tiger Ephemera Freebie -- Tiger Cigar Box
This tiger originally adorned a cigar box, find the free vintage tiger printable here:
Free Vintage Tiger Printables
The file below contains several of the tiger files I shared from my own collection, both in PDF and in JPG form for added versatility. I will update and add more tigers as I find them.
Happy New Year! Thank you for the beautiful freebies you posted links to in your news letter. I am so sorry to hear you have been sick with Covid. Glad you are able to enjoy some reading time and get some rest. Take care and sending wishes for a speedy recovery.
Wonderful Tiger images, Samantha! thank you :)