I recently received an email about how can someone use a piece of existing chess art for the frontpiece of his book and if it is under copyright law. I really don't know. The German artist died in 1965. Can someone use a chess art drawing and use it on the frontpiece of his book? Does anyone know the copywright laws or does this fall under an orphan copyright?
----
Dear Mr. Wall,
On your chess art site, you mention Otto Möller's 1922 woodcut, "Joueurs d'Echec".
Would you have any idea how I could go about discovering the location and copyright holder of the original? I am having great difficulty tracking it down on the internet. Any leads you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I ask because I would like to use it as the frontpiece of a book of mine soon to be published.
May I add that your main chess website is an extraordinary resource.