Photographic material

Background

Gloucestershire Archives holds many collections which contain old photographs and images of places, people and events in Gloucestershire. There is no central index of these photographs. Although most are listed on our website, some are held in albums, newspapers and books which are not indexed, Therefore you may need to set aside some time to find the photograph you are looking for.

Copyright

Most photographs held by Gloucestershire Archives are still under copyright. Therefore you will need to obtain permission before publishing any images in a book, pamphlet, exhibition or online. Please email us at archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk for more information.

What sort of photographs do you have?

We hold all sorts of photographs, including photos of people, buildings, streets, views, places of interest, events, groups, sport, and much more.  They come in different formats, according to when they were taken- including digital.  Unfortunately there is no guarantee that we will have the exact photo you want.

For a photograph to be in the Archives it has to have been

1) Taken by a photographer

• Most photographs are taken for an event or to show a place of particular interest.
• Some collections are part of a survey of a particular place
• A lot of early images are actually postcards

2) Kept by someone

• This could be an individual, a group or the photographer.

3) Given to the archives

• A lot of old photographs are held in private hands, either by local people or collectors.
• For us to have the photo someone has to have donated their records or collection of photographs to the archives.

Key collections of photographs

Gloucestershire Photographic Series GPS

This is a collection of individual photographs that are held by the archives. They are sorted by parish.  These photographs are listed on the online catalogue.  The collection includes photographs published by F Frith and Company and Cotswold Collotype (Ref: D4140).

The Gloucester Citizen Photographic Collection (D10638) 1958-2000s

The collection contains photographs that were taken by Citizen Photographers and published in the newspaper. From 1958 to 1989, the photographs are arranged chronologically in weekly envelopes. So you will need to know the week that the photograph appeared in the Citizen to order it. Copies of the Citizen can be viewed on microfilm at the Archives. After 1989 the photographs are sorted by subject. There are not many photos from the late 1990s and 2000s as the photographers had switched to digital photography.

Abbey Studios (D9841)

Abbey Studios was a photography studios based in Cirencester. The bulk of the collection consists of assignments undertaken by Abbey Studios photographers, mainly Graham Light and Chris Bowler, between 1979 and 2002.  However, the business had inherited and preserved photographic material, dating from the 1890s, from a number of prominent local predecessor photographers including F Mortimer Savory, W Dennis Moss, George Roper, Edward (Ted) Parrott and Peter Reason. The collection includes portraits of a number of famous people including members of the Royal family, leading aristocracy and show business stars such as Sir Cliff Richard and Johnny Cash.

Local Studies Collection

A large number of photographs, prints, drawings, etchings and postcards are held as part of the local studies collection, which used to be based at Gloucester Library. These are all listed on our online catalogue. The online catalogue will also find details of photographs held in other Local Studies collections at various libraries in the county.  The catalogue entry will tell you where the item is held.

School Photographs

There is no guarantee that you will find a school photograph of a particular year at the Archives.. The first place to look is the school collection. See Research Mini Guide: School Records. If the school has deposited any photographs, these will be in the relevant S collection. Next you could try a keyword search on the Online Catalogue. If this is not successful you could try looking in a local newspaper around the start or end of the school year. Photographs may also appear in prospectuses, newsletters and pamphlets about the school.

How to find the records

To view a list of records in these collections please use our online catalogue,  Type the reference given above into the Quick Search box as your search term.   

You can also try a more general search using relevant keywords-for example your place of interest and the word “photograph*”.  This is best done using the “advance search” option.

For more guidance on using our online catalogue please see the Help page and FAQs.  Or you can watch a YouTube tutorial.