Usenet Archive
Every picture on Usenet had to be typed. The network carried nothing but plain text from server to server – and out of that limitation grew an art form. In alt.ascii-art, rec.arts.ascii and their sibling groups, artists spent the better part of two decades trading artwork, teaching each other technique, filling requests and debating what good text art really was.
Those conversations are collected here, from the earliest captured post in October 1993 to the last in June 2013 – complete threads with original headers, the artwork exactly as it appeared on screen, and the posters behind it all. Start with a newsgroup, follow a conversation, or pick an artist and read everything they ever shared. The Usenet Archive is part of the Historic Archives.
Newsgroups
Search the archivealt.ascii-art
The main ASCII art newsgroup, where artists shared artwork, discussed techniques and answered questions from 1992 onwards.
alt.ascii-art.animation
A newsgroup dedicated to ASCII animations: artwork designed to be viewed frame by frame.
alt.ascii-art.endless-blabla
The off-topic corner of the ASCII art community, where the artists of alt.ascii-art chatted about everything besides the art itself.
rec.arts.ascii
The moderated ASCII art newsgroup in the rec.* hierarchy, focused on artwork and constructive discussion.
Notable posters
Browse all postersFrequently Asked Questions
What is Usenet?
Usenet is a worldwide discussion system that predates the web. It is organised into topic-based newsgroups, and everything shared there - including pictures - had to be plain text. Newsgroups such as alt.ascii-art and rec.arts.ascii became the main meeting places for ASCII artists during the 1990s and 2000s.
Where do these messages come from?
They are mirrored from publicly available historic Usenet archives. We import the original message files, decode the old character encodings, and keep the raw material unchanged - complete with original headers, dates and formatting.
How complete is the archive?
It contains the posts that the historic sources managed to capture - currently well over 125,000 messages spanning 1993 to 2013. Some early posts were never archived by anyone and are lost to time. We also filter spam from public view and respect the X-No-Archive header, but nothing is ever deleted from the underlying archive.
Why are email addresses partially hidden?
For privacy. These posts are decades old and the addresses belong to real people, so we mask them everywhere (like spi...@netcom.com) and never use them in links or page addresses. Posts by the same person are still grouped together, so you can follow an artist without their address being exposed.
Why is some content hidden behind an age confirmation?
A small part of the artwork shared in the newsgroups is sexually explicit. Those posts are marked as mature and stay hidden until you confirm that you are 18 or older. If you are logged in, your choice is saved on your profile.
Can I use the ASCII art I find here?
The artworks belong to their original artists. Many artists were happy for their work to be shared as long as their initials or signature stayed intact - so please keep signatures in place when you copy a piece, and credit the artist whenever you can.
I posted in these newsgroups. Can my messages be removed or credited?
Yes. Contact us and we will correct attribution, connect your posts to your artist profile, or remove material you posted. Messages that were originally sent with an X-No-Archive header are already excluded automatically.
About the sources, privacy and removal
The messages in this archive were originally posted to public Usenet newsgroups between 1993 and 2013 and are mirrored from publicly available historic sources. Email addresses are masked, and messages posted with an X-No-Archive header are not shown.
The newsgroups also received a steady flood of spam – chain letters, get-rich schemes and mass-posted advertising. We review and filter that noise from public view so the archive stays about ASCII art, and explicit artwork is shown only after an age confirmation. Nothing is ever deleted: filtering only hides material from display, and if you want to see everything, each group page has an Include spam option that shows the filtered posts too. The only material that is never displayed is privacy-related: messages sent with X-No-Archive and posts removed at their author's request.
If you are the author of a message or artwork and would like it corrected, attributed or removed, please contact us and we will handle your request.