The invention of photography represented a turning point in nineteenth-century culture and visual experience. For the first time, there was a means to capture an accurate and true portrayal of the people, places and events that would shape history. As a complement to studies of history, culture, media and many other disciplines, this archive provides the visual evidence to support and supplement written sources.

Photography assembles collections of photographs, photograph albums, photographically illustrated books and texts on the early history of photography from libraries and archives from across the globe. Some images are well-known while many have rarely been viewed. The nineteenth century was about family and society, invention and scientific discovery, exploration and colonization, urban versus rural life, work, leisure and travel—all this is captured in photographs. This engaging resource serves multiple disciplines and supports a range of research and study topics.

Photography delivers photographs from Britain, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Key areas of research covered include:

• Exploration and travel
• Empire, colonization, and life in colonized regions
• Topography and archaeology
• Daily life in the nineteenth century in countries across the globe
• People and portraiture
• Science, medicine, and criminology
• Photography as reproduction of art works
• Key events and wars