This half-day online workshop will introduce the range of visual sources held at The National Archives (TNA) which can be used for study of history and material culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These include registered designs, photographs, art, graphic design, architecture and film records, all produced or collected by government departments. The training will be held on Teams, and the link for the training will be sent two weeks in advance.
A significant collection of visual material can be found in our records of intellectual property. Under various Acts of Parliament relating to copyright, artists, designers, photographers, publishers and manufacturers sent samples of their work and products to government regulators to be registered. These samples are now held at TNA and include millions of textiles, wallpapers, trademarks, photographs, advertising and branding designs; creating a unique collection which reflects the economic, social and cultural history of the time.
In addition, British government departments also created a wide range of visual material for the purposes of documentation, publicity and propaganda, records of which are now held at TNA. These include architectural records, photographs, film, posters and other publicity material which offer researchers an insight into social and cultural history of the twentieth century.
This workshop will provide an overview of the range of visual records which make up these two areas of TNA’s collections and help students to identify which collections may be useful to their research.
Practical Archival Skills Training: Introduction to Visual Collections
The National Archives
£12, online, 12 November 2026, 1400-1700
Details and book.
