Archive for July, 2021

Portrait of an unidentified young woman, photograph by Louis Grouzelle, (between 1880 and 1890?]

Who’s that girl? Dating a 19th century photograph

July 28, 2021

Family matters, Research tips & tricks:

When browsing through collections of old family photographs it’s not unusual to come across images of unknown people and places. But how do you discover who these nameless ancestors are?

One method is to work out when the photograph was taken – once you have a rough time frame, you can compare the details of the sitter to ancestors in your family tree and hopefully find a match. This can be a complicated task, but every family historian likes a good challenge!

Pigeon messengers of World War I

Pigeon messengers of World War I

July 22, 2021

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Our stories:

It may be hard to believe today, but the humble pigeon played a heroic role as messenger in World War I, braving heavy artillery fire and poisonous gas to deliver messages between the front line and headquarters.

Robert Vere Scott’s photographic panoramas

Robert Vere Scott’s photographic panoramas

July 8, 2021

Ask a librarian, Collection spotlights, Victorian history:

Panoramic photographs have been around since the mid years of the 19th century when photographers strived to produce the arc of a wide vista in a single image. Check out some spectacular examples from the collection.

Catalogue upgrade: QR codes and search suggestions

Catalogue upgrade: QR codes and search suggestions

July 1, 2021

Ask a librarian, Research tips & tricks, Tips and tricks:

Create QR codes, see recent search suggestions and view up 50 results at a time with these new features recently added to the Library catalogue.