Features

Providing access to art that was often locked behind the closed doors of Britain's private country houses and collections.

The images in the photo archive came from a wide range of sources and their acquisitions reflect the shifting priorities of the art historical sector and our organisation.

While the photo archive may provide an accurate view of the historiography of British art, it gives only a partial glimpse into the complexities of the British art world.

Addressing sensitive, outdated, colonial, and racist words in the description and interpretation of art and artefacts.

Photo archives can prove invaluable as sources of visual and textual information in tracing the history of works in an artist’s oeuvre.

From uncovering a new provenance to creating a new artwork, there is no one way to use photo archives. In these eight films we speak to arts professionals to find out more about how the collection may be used in innovative and surprising ways.

The digitisation of photo archives allows wider audiences to research the history of an object's attribution, condition, and provenance as never before.

More than 100,000 images of British art and architecture can be sorted, compared, and collated in a way never before possible. The potential for Eureka moments is endless.