I think there is no easy answer. It would be best to contact the exact
office or institution which commissioned them and ask for a letter
clarifying the copyright status.
It is possible that the government purchased both the copyright and the
physical object, but also possible that the government merely purchased
the physical object.
Fredrik Josefsson wrote:
This issue has been discussed for a while now. First
on English Wikipedia, now on Commons.
The discussion on Commons can be found at:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:Deletion_requests#Official_paint…
A lengthy debate on English Wikipedia is at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Possibly_unfree_images/US_government…
The debate in short: The paintings are not Work of the
United States Government, they were made by artists on
commission. Can they be used as public domain?
/ Fred
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