The Cambridgeshire Collection holds over 50,000 separately indexed items dating from the 1680s, including images of places, people and events across the whole county. Also, thousands of negatives, which are listed though not individually catalogued.
Specific collections include:
The 'Photographic Record' of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society - in total this amounts to around 70,000 pictures
The Ramsey and Muspratt photographic archive consisting of thousands of studio portraits taken between the 1880s and the 1980s
Old Willingham - a collection of more than 4000 images, now also available on a website maintained by local residents (see link on right)
The online catalogue of images
Illustrations are separately listed on our library online catalogue
Please click here for our online library catalogue
To search for illustrations
- Use 'Advanced Search'
- From the list on the right of the screen select 'Cambridgeshire Collection Illustrations'
- Type your keyword in 'Words or phrase'
In common with most of the contents of the Cambridgeshire Collection, illustrations and photographs are housed in a controlled storage area inaccessible to library users
Organisation of the the material in the library
By place Cambridge views are arranged by street, building etc. Other settlements under their own name
By topic: for example, military scenes, stagecoaches, windmills, pumps, etc
By event: Illustrations of everyday life during World War II, Coronation Years, etc., also political and other cartoons
By portrait: Principally of important citizens of 19th century Cambridge