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From the Archive: From War Horse to Winnie the Pooh – The Animals of the First World War

“All quiet on the Western Front” apart from the neighing of horses, barking of dogs, miaowing of cats, chirruping of grasshoppers, hissing of geese, chattering of monkeys and even growling of bears.[1]The Illustrated War News (IWN) was an offshoot of... Read more →

Published 16th November, 2023 · 33 min read

From the Archive: Women at Work Throughout the Twentieth Century

Woman’s success is bought with tears of blood because she has so much to unlearn before she starts learning, so much to sacrifice, so much to overcome.[1]Britannia and Eve, February 1931.Britannia and Eve (B&E) was an Illustrated London News periodical... Read more →

Published 2nd November, 2023 · 20 min read

From the Archive: The Turbulent History of Women’s Football in The Illustrated London News

It must be clear to everybody that girls are totally unfitted for the rough work of the football-field.[1]Founded in 1842, The Illustrated London News (ILN) became a pioneer in global print media. It was the first illustrated magazine in the world... Read more →

Published 5th October, 2023 · 16 min read

Right to Roam: The Kinder Mass Trespass of 1932

"We ramblers, after a hard week’s work, in smoky towns and cities, go out rambling for relaxation and fresh air. And we find the finest rambling country is closed to us… our request, or demand, for access to all peaks... Read more →

Published 14th September, 2023 · 17 min read

From the Archive: The Indian Diaspora in British Colonial Africa

“I was standing on the bridge when the clock in the marketplace struck seven. From nowhere, two Muslim men, with feminine faces, approached me. I guessed they were money-minded and wicked men. Yet they were well dressed and looked like... Read more →

Published 22nd June, 2023 · 42 min read

From the Archive: Britain’s Civilisation of India and The Legacy of Colonial Mentality

"Even  after  seven  decades  of  independence,  the  legacy  of  the  British  still  continues  to  linger  in  the mind"1Our upcoming collection, The Sphere, consists of weekly issues of The Sphere publication, which was owned by Illustrated London News. This publication spans between... Read more →

Published 20th April, 2023 · 44 min read

Women’s History Month with British Online Archives

This March marks the annual Women’s History Month, the month provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions and legacies of women to history, society and culture. Generations of women have pushed boundaries, broken patriarchal ideals, and shaped our progress. Women’s... Read more →

Published 13th March, 2023 · 12 min read

Children and Childhood in British Illustrated Periodicals, 1869-1970

Over the past few years, children and young people have frequently been at the vanguard of political activism in the UK. They have protested against the government’s use of an algorithm to determine GCSE and A Level results, taken part... Read more →

Published 20th February, 2023 · 31 min read

Then, Now, and Forever: Labour in Perpetual Crisis (Part One)

From its earliest beginnings, the Labour Party has always been a “broad church”, encompassing a range of opinions from across the political spectrum. The party was born from the growing trade union movement in 1900 and initially encompassed a variety... Read more →

Published 16th January, 2023 · 19 min read

From the Archive: The Tobacco Industry and Advertising: Women Smoking in Interwar Britain

"The woman smoker is a twentieth-century phenomenon."1- Penny Tinkler Our new collection, Britannia and Eve, 1926-1957, comprises of one of the various “sister” titles owned by The Illustrated London News (ILN) called Britannia and Eve. Encompassing just under 38,000 images and... Read more →

Published 3rd January, 2023 · 34 min read

From the Archive: Cycling to Equality

"I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel - the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." In the modern day it is hard to imagine the controversial and transformational effect of the bicycle at its... Read more →

Published 5th December, 2022 · 28 min read

From the Archive: The Failures of Women in Art

“[Women] have been let loose upon arid fields for education” The Sketch, first published in 1893, was a popular sister title of the The Illustrated London News. This publication was created by Clement Shorter and William Ingram (former editor and managing... Read more →

Published 24th November, 2022 · 24 min read

From the Archive: William Howard Russell and The Crimean Wars Cultural Legacy

Our exciting new collection, The Sketch, 1893-1958, explores British high society across some of the biggest social and cultural changes in Britain. Encompassing almost 170,000 images and over 3,000 issues, the collection is an invaluable source for students and researchers alike.... Read more →

Published 30th September, 2022 · 30 min read

From the Archive: Beauty Standards and Diet Culture in British Print Media, 1901-1966

Our exciting new collections, The Tatler, 1901-1965 and London Life 1965-1966, explore British high society across some of the biggest social and cultural changes in Britain. Encompassing just under 300,000 images and containing over 3,000 issues, that were published between July... Read more →

Published 21st July, 2022 · 32 min read

Syphilis: Scarring the Face of Society for more than 500 years

The human body hoards its trauma as though it were a dragon seated on a mountain of gold. Skeletons retain evidence of old wounds and diseases, the plaque on our teeth calcifies and preserves the bacteria present in our mouths,... Read more →

Published 21st June, 2022 · 14 min read

The Deterioration of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

“I wanted to be someone and do something with my life, but all of that is gone and I am left in darkness”, says a young Afghani girl on the roll back of women’s rights under the new Taliban government... Read more →

Published 23rd May, 2022 · 7 min read

A Century of Denial

In the last one hundred years, we have watched, with varying degrees of alarm, as our climate has changed at a rate unprecedented in the earth’s natural cycle. There is finally a consensus that this is not normal, and our... Read more →

Published 23rd May, 2022 · 10 min read

Climate Change: The Unsolvable Crisis of Capitalist Governance

Framing climate change as the latest in a long line of capitalist disasters, rather than the isolated relationship between man and nature, uncovers unavoidable barriers between national governments and capital in ordering global governance. Consequently, doubt is cast on the... Read more →

Published 19th May, 2022 · 11 min read

From the Archive: Immigration and Political Discourse from the 1960s to Brexit

The issue of immigration has been a particularly contentious issue for the past decade in Britain. Fueled by migration from the Middle East after the Arab Spring in 2011, as well as frictionless freedom of movement within the European Union... Read more →

Published 14th April, 2022 · 18 min read

“Going for an Indian”: Food, Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain

Our new collection, London Life, 1965-1966, consists of weekly issues of the London Life magazine, which was owned by Illustrated London News. The magazine, that captured the spirit of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, aimed to ‘reflect all aspects of the life of... Read more →

Published 7th April, 2022 · 32 min read

From the Archive: Women's Liberation, Miniskirts and The Pill in 60s and 70s Britain

Our exciting new collection, British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939-2009, explores the materials produced by the British Ministry of Information (MOI) and Central Office of Information (COI). The material covers subjects such as, the Second World War, the Cold War,... Read more →

Published 1st February, 2022 · 23 min read

Airborne Propaganda: The Battle for Hearts and Minds

Since prehistoric times, warring rulers have recognised the importance of weakening the morale of opponents. Often the battle for hearts and minds is as pivotal to victory as any physical fighting. As technology has developed, so has the range and... Read more →

Published 20th January, 2022 · 21 min read

An Assessment of The History of Mary Prince as an Abolitionist text

Representations of slavery did important work in the argument for abolition. However, Black abolitionist writing was rarely left untouched by contemporary editors. Nowhere is this more evident than in Mary Prince’s autobiography, a shocking first person account of the horrors... Read more →

Published 10th January, 2022 · 11 min read

The Power of State Apologies: The Irish Famine

In recent times governments have begun to formally apologise or express remorse for actions of their historical predecessors. Some argue that these collective apologies serve to build, repair, renew, and strengthen bonds between communities harmed by historical wrongdoing, and that... Read more →

Published 15th December, 2021 · 15 min read

“Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away”: The presentation of American slavery in ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’

This paper is on the presentation of freedom and slavery in ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’. The show has been praised for its ‘revolutionary’ nature, and for changing theatre from a traditional to a more accessible form of entertainment. However, despite... Read more →

Published 7th December, 2021 · 17 min read

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and The Important Role of Indian Women in the Suffragette Movement

"Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper... Read more →

Published 15th October, 2021 · 35 min read

Hillsborough: The Archive as a Vehicle for ‘Truth Recovery’

On 27 July this year, Andrew Devine became the 97th victim of the infamous Hillsborough disaster. According to Liverpool coroner, Andre Rebello, ‘Andrew Devine died at the Royal Liverpool Hospital after a long illness of 32 years from aspiration pneumonia.’[i] ... Read more →

Published 29th September, 2021 · 12 min read

Talk Like a Pirate Day: The Evolving Social Character of Pirates in the Golden Age

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday which springs from a romanticised view of the Golden Age of Piracy, a glossy Hollywood adaptation where pirates with eye-patches and bushy black beards shout ‘Ahoy, Me Hearties!’, ‘Avast Ye’,... Read more →

Published 19th September, 2021 · 14 min read

Contextualising the MOVE Remains Within American History

Every aspect of US history is irrevocably tied to slavery. The repercussions of the trade in human chattel can be seen in the modern descendants of enslaved peoples, but also within the societal frameworks that make up modern America. There... Read more →

Published 19th August, 2021 · 17 min read

Pride is a State of Mind: The History of the Pathologisation of Queerness

The DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (used primarily in the United States), has had a rocky past, to say the least. The thing about deciding what is and is not a mental disorder is that it... Read more →

Published 27th June, 2021 · 16 min read

A Red Spectre: Remembering the Paris Commune on its 150th Anniversary

A City in Ruins150 years ago this week, Paris, which regarded itself as the ‘Citadel of Civilisation’ (Horne, 1965: 418), tore itself apart and lay in ruins. Black smoke billowed from every corner of the city and dead bodies lay... Read more →

Published 27th May, 2021 · 20 min read

The centenary of the partition of Ireland: Assessing the past, present, and future of the United Kingdom

To little fanfare, this month marked the centenary of the partition of Ireland. 100 years ago on 3rd May 1921, the separate self-governing states of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland were created under the enactment of the Government of Ireland... Read more →

Published 3rd May, 2021 · 11 min read

Cholera Pandemic 1830s

The rapid development of multiple mRNA vaccines in a year to combat a previously unknown virus is a triumph of biotechnology and the maturation of research years in the making. That miracle of science is culminating in a race to... Read more →

Published 19th April, 2021 · 9 min read

Fashion as a political statement in the American Republic

Fashion as a political statement is a concept one generally associated with the  20th and 21st centuries, despite the practical knowledge that this could not possibly be true. Dressing deliberately for the sake of politics has far reaching roots, in... Read more →

Published 24th March, 2021 · 16 min read

Women and War: Challenging the Archetype of Passive Women Throughout the Troubles

In times of war, women have traditionally been associated with peace, maternalism and caregiving; the nurses, the mothers, the symbols of national unity. This has perpetuated the notion that women have a homogenous experience of conflict, namely as non-violent, passive... Read more →

Published 8th March, 2021 · 12 min read

A re-evaluation of the legacy of James Marion Sims

History is always skewed by our perceptions of modern morals. What was once considered acceptable in the pursuit of science is no longer permissible. However, our perceptions themselves are influenced by the education to which we are privy. Take, for... Read more →

Published 28th February, 2021 · 13 min read

From the Archive: Scottish Rebel Songs

Drawing upon our exciting new collection, Scottish Nationalist Leaflets, 1844-1973, this article examines the development of Scottish nationalism in the twentieth century through an analysis of ‘Rebel Songbooks’. These songbooks reflect the turbulent, ever-changing landscape of Scottish society, identity, and... Read more →

Published 3rd February, 2021 · 15 min read

Match Maker, Match Maker, Don’t Make the Match: Phossy Jaw and the Bryant and May Match Workers Strike

The history of something as simple as an everyday match or a ‘work appropriate blouse’ can be imbued with historical horrors. In fact, as we re-examine our past, the history of industrialisation and the fight for workers’ rights, we find... Read more →

Published 31st December, 2020 · 10 min read

From the Archive: Women’s Liberation and the CPGB

From the Archive: Women’s Liberation and the CPGBIn the 1970s, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was facing heavy membership losses and an ever enigmatic class revolution that had failed to materialise after half a century of toil. New... Read more →

Published 8th December, 2020 · 12 min read

From the Archive: America Abroad, 1891-1907

Our exciting new collection, Transatlantic Civil Society in Periodicals, 1767-1925, explores the evolving relationship between North America and Europe over three centuries. A period that encompasses the conflict of the American revolutionary era through to changes wrought by industrialisation and... Read more →

Published 23rd November, 2020 · 11 min read

History and identity: tracing the legacy of colonial history in modern French identity

In contemporary political debate, memories of empire have a potent appeal. The spectre of empire holds a certain allure, promising power, glory and greatness. Particularly affected by this have been the old colonial giants of Europe, including France. In this... Read more →

Published 23rd October, 2020 · 9 min read

Aid in Africa: hurting or helping?

The idea of aid took off in the 1920s/30s, when wealthier countries started to make regular donations to places including Latin America and Africa. Before this, there had been some sporadic donations in the 19th Century, but nothing as structured... Read more →

Published 8th October, 2020 · 10 min read

Miracle of Chile? The legacy of the Chicago Boys

Chile is often hailed as the ‘Miracle of Chile’ and is compared to the Asian Tiger economies, which boasted rapid economic growth between the 1960s and 1990s, paired with a huge improvement in the standard of living. Even today, it... Read more →

Published 26th August, 2020 · 9 min read

Assessing Soviet nationality policy: a state vested with the power to define, build and destroy nations

 Assessing Soviet nationality policy: a state vested with the power to define, build and destroy nations The concept of nations and nationalism within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was complex. The face of ‘Soviet nationality policy’ (SNP) shifted and... Read more →

Published 18th August, 2020 · 14 min read

From the Archive: The Paris Peace Conference and Upper Silesia

Our popular primary source collection, 'Paris Peace Conference and Beyond, 1919-1939', provides a wealth of archival material relating to the tumultuous period in the aftermath of the First World War. The Paris Peace Conference was the formal meeting of the... Read more →

Published 7th August, 2020 · 10 min read

History in society – Reassessing the relevance of public monuments in the 21st century

Last weekend a statue of Edward Colston, a prominent slave trader, was torn down in Bristol during an anti-racism protest. The statue had been a source of controversy in the city for a long time and after years of fruitless... Read more →

Published 9th June, 2020 · 9 min read

In Conversation With...Stephen M. Walt

Stephen M. Walt is a distinguished academic who writes about international relations theory, grand strategy, and American foreign policy. He obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied under the late Kenneth Waltz, a... Read more →

Published 5th August, 2019 · 8 min read

Stranger Things, Nostalgia and Unintentional Meaning

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS You've got to hand it to the producers of Stranger Things for using the same deus ex machina to solve the same problem three series in a row. At least this time around there was something of a... Read more →

Published 26th July, 2019 · 11 min read

The Radical Romanticism of Piracy

In Western popular culture, pirates have emerged as dashing heroic figures.Despite the fact that, on the periphery, most people are vaguely aware that there is a profound disconnect between the realities of piracy and the popular fantasy, we choose to... Read more →

Published 10th July, 2019 · 13 min read

Interpreting the Unthinkable

In September 2018 the UK’s newest Holocaust exhibition opened to the public. ‘Though Our Eyes’ tells the story of the Holocaust as experienced by 16 Jewish men and women who escaped or survived the genocide and made new lives in the... Read more →

Published 17th April, 2019 · 5 min read

In Conversation With...Andrew J. Bacevich

Andrew J. Bacevich is an historian and commentator who writes about American foreign and defence policy.He graduated from West Point in 1969 and served in the United States Army for two decades, including stints in Vietnam and Kuwait. After leaving... Read more →

Published 10th April, 2019 · 6 min read

The Problem with Apollo

The American ‘moonshot’ is arguably one of the most memorable moments of the Cold War, if not the 20th century. It captured the world’s attention with record global viewing figures on live television and cemented the success of America’s military-industrial-scientific... Read more →

Published 15th October, 2018 · 10 min read

Channel Islander Victims of Nazi Persecution: A Legitimate Heritage?

A casual stroll through any village or town in France will reveal memorials to those who died in concentration camps. Examine any war memorial and alongside those who died on the battlefield are lists of the glorieux martyrs de la... Read more →

Published 16th August, 2018 · 5 min read

The Fashionable Form of Holocaust Denial

What do Holocaust deniers deny? The most extreme among them deny that the Nazis’ the extermination of the Jews ever happened—or, if some portion of it did take place, the Jews were behind it. These include such notorious figures as... Read more →

Published 9th August, 2018 · 10 min read

The Politics of the World Cup

It was a magnificent finale to a tense group stage encounter. Standing at five and a half feet, Xherdan Shaqiri’s run wasn’t graceful, but with legs pumping like pistons, the Switzerland midfielder surged past the defender and stuck the ball... Read more →

Published 16th July, 2018 · 6 min read

Behind Enemy Lines: The Life and Death of Diana Rowden

On July 6th, 1944, Diana Rowden, Andree Borrell, Vera Leigh, and Sonya Olschanezky were executed by the SS at Natzweiler-Struthof, a concentration camp located near the foothills of the Vosges Mountains in Alsace. They had been transferred from a prison... Read more →

Published 6th July, 2018 · 2 min read

Pride in Perspective: Homosexuality in Britain Since 1967

In July 1967 the Sexual Offences Act decriminalized homosexual acts between men, making it legal between two men over 21 in private (though not in Scotland or Northern Ireland—those laws were finally abolished in 1980 and 1982 respectively).   This legislation... Read more →

Published 18th June, 2018 · 6 min read

Britain and the Second World War: Identity and Remembrance

The anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day on 8th May marks the end of the war in Europe and Germany’s unconditional surrender to the Allies. As it coincides this year with the final year of centenary commemorations of the... Read more →

Published 8th May, 2018 · 6 min read

VE Day Through the Eyes of East Prussian Refugees

"I did not know then that the 8th of May 1945 was a special day. Whatever happened in the world ‘outside’, did not apply to us. Here, everything revolved around food, the acquisition of food and sheer survival… We did... Read more →

Published 8th May, 2018 · 5 min read

Women and Protest in 19th Century Britain

Does women’s history actually exist? If the lives and achievements of just over half of the population were fully acknowledged as a vital part of the human story then, by definition, it wouldn’t. The tendency to see women’s experiences as... Read more →

Published 5th April, 2018 · 6 min read

The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

25 March marks The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a moment to remember those who suffered under slavery and to reflect upon slavery’s legacy in contemporary society.Between 1526 and 1867, somewhere... Read more →

Published 21st March, 2018 · 6 min read

Black History Month with British Online Archives

Black History Month is celebrated every February in the United States and Canada, as well as here in the United Kingdom in October. The idea started as a way of remembering significant people and events in African history. Black History... Read more →

Published 28th February, 2018 · 5 min read