File:Tolkien 1916.jpg

J. R. R. Tolkien (aged 24) in army uniform, photograph taken in 1916.

Tolkien was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers in July 1915. He trained with the 13th (Reserve) Battalion on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, for eleven months. He was transferred to the 11th (Service) Battalion with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving in France on 4 June 1916.

• The photo dates to 1916, but was published only in 1977. It may be in the public domain in some countries (which ones?), but possibly not in the UK.
• This photograph was published in the UK in 1977 in J. R. R. Tolkien - a biography, by Humphrey Carpenter. No credit given.
• immediate source: http://www.kulichki.com/tolkien/cabinet/fotos/jrrt_war.jpg
• the below tag assumes (without any evidence either way) that the anonymous "author" (presumably a professional photographer) died more than 70 years ago. What is the copyright situation for "family photographs" taken by professional photographers? Does the lifetime of the photographer count, or the lifetime of the person commissioning the photograph?

This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Jamaica has 95 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years. This image may not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the rule of the shorter term. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years and Honduras has 75 years, but they do implement the rule of the shorter term. Copyright may extend on works created by French who died for France in World War II (more information), Russians who served in the Eastern Front of World War II (known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia) and posthumously rehabilitated victims of Soviet repressions (more information).

This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

derivative works[edit]

Derivative works of this file: Tolkien 1916-2.jpg