Key Clipart

Keys are tools used to operate locks since ancient times. They allow access and control to spaces or objects that are closed or locked. Some of the earliest keys date back to the Ancient Egyptians who used wooden keys to lock valuables in boxes. Over the centuries, keys became more advanced alongside lock technology. Today we have various types of keys forged from metal that open locks in doors, cars, safes, diaries and more through unique tooth patterns. Keys are incredibly important objects that symbolize access, ownership, status and secrecy.

Types of Keys

There are many types of keys used for various locks:

• Skeleton keys – These classic keys have a basic shape with the teeth filed down so they can open numerous locks. They were often used by locksmiths or property owners to access different doors.
• Car keys – Modern car keys have an electronic fob or chip that pairs with a vehicle to unlock and start it. The physical key slides into the ignition.
• House keys – House keys have diverse shapes to match the specific home’s door locks. Modern house keys often have security features like rising ridges.
• Padlocks – Padlock keys are usually flat with matching teeth to open their padlocks on lockers, gates, etc.
• Safe/Diary keys – Smaller keys designed for locking boxes, safes, diaries and furniture often have tiny, delicate teeth.

And there are antique ceremonial keys like church keys, clock winding keys, and ornamental keys used in rituals.

Key Anatomy

Keys have distinct anatomical parts that allow them to properly operate locks:

• Bow – The handle part held when turning the key. House or door key bows have decorative shapes.
• Tip – The other end inserted into the lock. It aligns the ridges to the lock’s internal system.
• Head – The widest tooth edge that helps grab the lock’s internal lever mechanism.
• Shank – The solid metal stem between the bow and head where the teeth are cut.
• Teeth – The edged notches along the bottom that form the key’s unique pattern to match the lock.

How Keys Work

Keys work the lock’s internal lever mechanism to open it:

1. Inserting the key lifts, pushes or pulls the lock levers into a certain alignment through its ridge-tooth pattern.
2. When lifted to the correct heights, the levers allow the lock’s cylinder plug to rotate freely.
3. Turning the straightened plug retracts the lock bolt, allowing the door to open.

So keys encode a 3D profile that “solves” the lock by setting its levers properly. Keys and their locks must have identical ridge-shaped patterns to work properly together.

Famous Keys in History

Certain keys have legendary stories behind them:

• The Key to the City – An ornamental key awarded by cities to esteemed guests, once allowed benefactors access through city gates.
• The Keys to Parliament – Giant golden keys symbolizing a monarch’s power to convene Parliament in the UK.
• The Key to the Kaaba – An ancient Islamic relic said to lock and unlock the holiest shrine in Mecca.
• The legendary Key to the Kingdom represents access to royal power or heaven’s gates.

Mythic keys also appear in many religions as symbols, like St. Peter’s keys to heaven.

Key Symbolism

Beyond physically operating locks, keys symbolize grander metaphysical concepts:

• Keys represent freedom, liberty, truth and solution-finding, as they “unlock” what was previously “locked” away.
• Possessing keys symbolizes authority, control, power and access while a lack of keys represents exclusion.
• Keys are tied to secrecy as they hide private information behind locked boxes and diaries.
• Mystical ancient keys were thought to hold esoteric wisdom, embody rites of passage, or reveal answers.

This rich symbolic history lends great meaning to keys in myths, legends, fantasies and dreams.

Collecting Keys

Due to their historic importance, artistic craftsmanship, and diversity, people collect keys as a hobby:

• Antique keys are widely collected from ancient Roman iron keys to ornate Victorian keys.
• Collectors may focus on skeleton keys, prison keys, beautifully forged keys, keys with unique designs, ceremonial keys, or keys belonging to famous people throughout history.
• Key collecting allows hobbyists to own literal and symbolic “keys to the past” displaying stunning human artistry.

Key collecting catalogs and conventions showcase diverse private and museum key collections.

Introduction to Key Clipart

Clipart refers to public domain or royalty-free illustrations used in publishing and graphic design. Key clipart comprises illustrated images of keys often created through vector graphics editors. These include:

• Simple classic key silhouettes useful for general key imagery
• Elaborate antique-style keys with ornamental bows and teeth adding vintage flair
• Keys with tags, labels or moving parts to convey interactivity
• Keys framed by keyholes or integrated into backgrounds
• Keys paired with related images (locks, chests, doors) in scenarios

Key clipart’s non-photographic style renders keys artistically with unlimited versatility for enhancing graphic projects.

Using Key Clipart

Keys as iconic visual metaphors make key clipart extremely versatile for projects:

• Enhance text heavy pages by framing or accenting key points with key clipart. Let the visual theme reinforce concepts.
• Allow key images to reflect themes of mystery, adventure, access, journey, solution, etc based on context.
• Pair antique key clipart with stories or content related to history, wisdom, secrecy or symbolic ritual.
• Use interactive key clipart like keys with moving parts or disappearing in keyholes to engage viewer curiosity over reveals.

With a strong symbolic resonance, key clipart incorporates deeper meaning into any media project for richer storytelling and visual flair.

Keys continue to intrigue and fascinate humanity as practical physical gateways and mystical metaphorical symbols. Their images distill concepts of access, revelation, solutions and mystery into iconic visual shorthand through clipart. By collecting keys and their representations, we gather artistic fragments of human imagination and creativity through the centuries.

In this page clipartix present 83 key clipart images free for designing activities. Lets download Key Clipart that you want to use for works or personal uses.