LibGuides: Primary Sources: 19th Century

19th Century

19th Century Pamphlets Collection This link opens in a new window A selection of 19th Century British pamphlets providing insight into the politics and culture of Victorian Britain.
British History Online This link opens in a new window A collection of printed primary and secondary sources from the medieval and early modern periods of British history. Subject coverage includes biographies, religious history, local and parliamentary histories and urban history.
Discovery, the National Archives Catalogue This link opens in a new window Full catalogue of the holdings of the National Archives and thousands of other archives in the UK. The National Archives is home to millions of historical documents, which were created and collected by UK central government departments and major courts of law. Wide subject coverage.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window Cross-search all of the Gale primary source collections in one go. Content dates from 16th Century onwards and includes monographs, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, maps, and more. Date coverage: 16th -20th century
John Johnson Collection This link opens in a new window Collection of ephemera, including posters, broadsides, prints and advertising material from 18th, 19th and early 20th century Britain.
Medieval and Early Modern Studies This link opens in a new window The collection covers a range of subject over the time period including sources on the Black Death to the Restoration of the English monarchy and the Glorious Revolution.

American Periodicals This link opens in a new window This database contains periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines and many other historically-significant periodicals.
Black Drama, 3rd ed This link opens in a new window Contains the full text of more than 1,700 plays written from the mid-1800s to the present by more than 200 playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries. Many of the works are rare, hard to find, or out of print. More than 40% of the collection consists of previously unpublished plays.
British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window 19th Century arts ephemera including playbills, scripts and music scores providing details of the cultural history of Britain during this period.
Corvey Collection: Nineteenth Century Collections Online: European Literature, 1790 - 1840 This link opens in a new window The Corvey Collection includes the full-text of more than 9,500 English, French and German titles. The collection is sourced from the remarkable library of Victor Amadeus, whose Castle Corvey collection was one of the most spectacular discoveries of the late 1970s. The Corvey Collection comprises one of the most important collections of Romantic era writing in existence anywhere -- including fiction, short prose, dramatic works, poetry, and more -- with a focus on especially difficult-to-find works by lesser-known, historically neglected writers.
Historical Texts This link opens in a new window Search across a number of historic book collections in one go. Comprising of Early English Books Online (EEBO), Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), the UK medical Heritage Library and 65,000 texts from the British Library 19th Century collection.
Literary Manuscripts - Berg This link opens in a new window The Berg Collection is recognised as one of the finest literary research collections in the world, Covering a broad range of authors from across the nineteenth century.
Literary Studies This link opens in a new window This collection covers British and American literature including Literary manuscripts, rare printed works, and personal papers of a range of leading literary figures, as well as unique access to rare and obscure literary texts and genres.
Mercure de France, 1672-1810 This link opens in a new window Political and literary periodical first published under the title Le Mercure Galant to chronicle the activities of prominent individuals in metropolitan Paris, the French provinces, and abroad, while also publishing novels and stories. French language publication.
Nineteenth - Century Fiction This link opens in a new window A collection of British and Irish novels from the period 1782 to 1903. Useful for researching different genres of fiction literature.
Nineteenth Century Literary Society This link opens in a new window Discover the work of one of the worlds most important publishing dynasties through this collection from the historic John Murray Archive. From book history to travel writing, politics to poetry, this newly digitised resource introduces an unparalleled repository for nineteenth century culture and the literary luminaries who shaped it.
Parker Library On the Web This link opens in a new window Digitised images of rare Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and early printed books from the historic Parker Library collection at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Perdita Manuscripts This link opens in a new window The Perdita Project was set up to find and digitise early modern women authors who were lost because their writing existed only in manuscript form. The digitised manuscripts in this collection were written or compiled by women in the British Isles during the 16th and 17th centuries. Content includes accounts and receipt books, diaries, biographies, prose, poetry, psalms, travel writing, historical writing and more.
Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape This link opens in a new window Discover the working methods of Romantic poets and trace the evolution of celebrated verse. Presenting the manuscript collections of the Wordsworth Trust. Includes verse manuscripts, printed manuscripts, prose manuscripts, printed verse, correspondence, diaries, travel journals, autograph albums, guide books, fine art and maps. Content spans from the 17th century to the 1980s.
Shakespeare in Performance: Prompt Books from the Folger Shakespeare Library This link opens in a new window Shakespeare in Performance showcases rare prompt books from the world-famous Folger Shakespeare Library. These prompt books tell the story of Shakespeares plays as they were performed in theatres throughout Great Britain, the United States, between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
Victorians on Film This link opens in a new window Includes collections of early films from the British Film Institute (the Victorian Collection and the Mitchell and Kenyon collection), plus a selection of films from the Eye Filmmuseum. Also contains contextual essays, video interviews and exhibitions in support of the film resources. Coverage is 1895-1913.

19th Century Pamphlets Collection This link opens in a new window A selection of 19th Century British pamphlets providing insight into the politics and culture of Victorian Britain.
19th Century UK Periodicals Online, Series 1 This link opens in a new window A selection of 19th Century British magazines providing insight into the emergence of modern British magazine publishing in the 19th century.
African American Communities This link opens in a new window From communal struggle to creative outpourings: uncover the everyday lives of African Americans spanning two turbulent centuries (Early 19th to early 21st century).
American Consumer Culture This link opens in a new window This multi-title platform provides cross-searchable access to hundreds of thousands of pages of essential American history across the 19th and 20th centuries.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window This collection documents American History from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century. It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, and contains correspondence, diaries, government documents, business records, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, photographs, artwork and maps.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers (early 16th century) and photographs and newspapers right up to the end of the 20th century.
American West This link opens in a new window Explore the fact and the fiction of westward expansion in America from the early eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Browse printed books, journals, historic maps, broadsides, periodicals, advertisements, photographs, artwork and more.
Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia This link opens in a new window A varied array of records of traders, travellers, missionaries and diplomats, from the mid-seventeenth century to the late twentieth century, offering Western perspectives on all aspects of Chinese culture and society.
Area Studies: India This link opens in a new window A vital resource for the study of the British Indian Empire and the history, culture and literature of the Indian subcontinent from 1712 to 1942.
Area Studies: Japan This link opens in a new window A wide range of sources, by writers, diplomats, tourists, businessmen, missionaries and others, documenting the political, cultural and social history of Japan from 1400 to the 20th century.
China: Culture and Society This link opens in a new window China: Culture and Society provides access to the Wason Pamphlet collection in its entirety. Mostly in English and published between c.1750 and 1929, these rare pamphlets make up one of the most extensive collections of literature on China and the Chinese in the Western world.
Country Life Archive This link opens in a new window Digital archive of Country Life magazine, from 1901 to 2005. The archive provides insight into upper-class British culture, lifestyle and history.
Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture 1790-1920 This link opens in a new window Archival material covering crime and popular culture in the long 19th century. Drawing on global sources, the collection includes trial transcripts, police and forensic documents, photographs, true crime literature and detective novels, and newspaper accounts.
Everyday Life & Women in America c.1800-1920 This link opens in a new window Unique primary source material for the study of American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Food and Drink in History This link opens in a new window From feast to famine, explore five centuries of primary source material documenting the story of food and drink with sources from the UK, US and Australia. Covering 16th to early 21st centuries.
Frontier Life This link opens in a new window This collection helps us to understand existence on the edges of the anglophone world from 1650-1920. Discover the various European and colonial frontier regions of North America, Africa and Australasia through documents that reveal the lives of settlers and indigenous peoples in these areas. Includes correspondence, diaries, government papers, business records, land transactions, legal documents, speeches, books and pamphlets.
Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954 This link opens in a new window Jewish Life in America will enable you to explore the history of Jewish communities in America from the 17th century right through to the mid-20th century. The collection brings to life the communal and social aspects of Jewish identity, culture and Jewish involvement in the political life of American society.
London Lives 1690 - 1800 : Crime Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis This link opens in a new window Ephemera and primary sources from 18th century London, particularly focusing on working-class Londoners.
London Low Life This link opens in a new window Digitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
Meiji Japan This link opens in a new window Manuscripts for the study of Meiji society, culture, ethnology and education from the papers of Edward Sylvester Morse (1838-1925).
Mercure de France, 1672-1810 This link opens in a new window Political and literary periodical first published under the title Le Mercure Galant to chronicle the activities of prominent individuals in metropolitan Paris, the French provinces, and abroad, while also publishing novels and stories. French language publication.
Migration to New Worlds This link opens in a new window Full text access to a wide range of primary source material focused on migration to the New Worlds.
Popular Medicine in America, 1800-1900 This link opens in a new window This collection showcases the development of 'popular' medicine in America during the 19th century, through an extensive range of material that was aimed at the general public rather than medical professionals. It includes printed sources, including rare books, pamphlets, trade cards, and ephemera.

Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window Explore five centuries (1420 - 1920) of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, new trade routes, and conflict over territories. Featuring rare manuscript and early printed material, highly illustrated maps and documents, diaries and ships' logs from some of the most well-known voyages in history. Note: Scanned documents are in original language and have not been translated.
America in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1635-1928 This link opens in a new window Records from the United Society Partners in Gospel missionary organisation, providing an insight into British missionary changing attitudes towards the American and Canadian Colonies over 300 years.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window This collection documents American History from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century. It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, and contains correspondence, diaries, government documents, business records, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, photographs, artwork and maps.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers (early 16th century) and photographs and newspapers right up to the end of the 20th century.
American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971 This link opens in a new window Contains a large variety of collections from the U.S. National Archives, a series of collections from the Chicago History Museum, as well as selected first-hand accounts on Indian Wars and westward migration. Subdivided into numerous smaller collections, these can be searched separately or all together. Most collections are from the settler perspective, but there are also records of council meetings of a selection of native tribes.
Bray Schools in Canada, America and the Bahamas, 1645-1900 This link opens in a new window Archives of the Associates of Dr Bray, a philanthropic group whose aims were to provide education for black people and Native Americans in North America.
Canada in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1722-1952 This link opens in a new window Records, letters, charters and reports from the Canadian branch of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), an Anglican missionary organisation.
Colonial Africa in official statistics, 1821-1953 This link opens in a new window Statistics covering the history of thirteen colonies across Africa. The statistics captured how the British Empire was performing as a business.
Colonial America This link opens in a new window Colonial America makes available around 1,400 volumes from The National Archives, UK, covering the period 1606 to 1822. This consists of the original correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies.
Colonial Caribbean This link opens in a new window Stretching from Jamaica and the Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, Colonial Caribbean makes available materials from 27 Colonial Office file classes from The National Archives, UK. Covering the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870, this includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, and details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern of absentee landlords.
Colonial Missionaries Papers from America and the West Indies, 1701-1870 This link opens in a new window Letters, proceedings, journals and reports from the Anglian missionary organisation United Society Partners in Gospel, formerly the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) covering 18th to early 20th century. The collection provides insight into the relationship between colonisers and the colonised.
Colonial State Papers‎ This link opens in a new window The Colonial State Papers offers access to over 7,000 hand-written documents and more than 40,000 bibliographic records with this incredible resource on Colonial History. In addition to Britain's colonial relations with the Americas and other European rivals for power, this collection also covers the Caribbean and Atlantic world. It is an invaluable resource for scholars of early American history, British colonial history, Caribbean history, maritime history, Atlantic trade, plantations, and slavery. Date range: 1574-1757
Early Encounters in North America This link opens in a new window This collection aims to document the relationships among peoples in North America from 1534 to 1850. Mainly consists of personal accounts from all of the protagonists, including traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, native peoples, and officials, both men and women.
East India Company This link opens in a new window Digitised primary source archive covering all aspects of British trade with, and government of, India from 1595 to 1947, under the East India Company itself and under the British Crown.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window Manuscripts, maps, essays, printed and visual historical sources on colonialism and Empire from the 16th to 20th Centuries.
Empire Studies This link opens in a new window This collection offers a rich array of sources for the study of the British Empire. It features material on British colonial policy and government; perspectives on life in British colonies. Content dates from the mid 18th to mid 20th centuries.
Europe and Africa, Colonialism and Culture - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Full text manuscript collections, including newspapers, UK, US and German diplomatic and colonial records, publications from missionary organisations, and correspondence and personal papers from individuals. This archive provides an in-depth look into the motivations, activities, and results of the European conquest of Africa in the nineteenth century.
Indigenous Cultures and Christian Conversion in Ghana and Sierra Leone, 1700-1850 This link opens in a new window This resource comprises selected documents from a number of different microfilm collections, including: early Gold Coast records from the archives of the USPG; the papers of Thomas Perronet Thompson, the first Governor of the Colony of Sierra Leone
Ghana and Togo under colonial rule, in Government reports, 1843-1957 This link opens in a new window Colonial government annual and departmental reports and statistical data relating to the Gold Coast and Togoland, 1843-1957. Supports comparative, social, political and economic history research on imperialism and colonialism across British Africa.
Ghana in Records from colonial missionaries, 1886-1951 This link opens in a new window A collection of six volumes of records highlighting the role and influence of colonial missionaries in Ghanaian society between 1886-1951. Records include letters sent and received, missionary reports and additional correspondence.
India Raj and Empire This link opens in a new window Explore the history of South Asia between the foundation of the East India Company in 1615 and the granting of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947.
Malawi under colonial rule, in Government reports, 1907-1967 This link opens in a new window Annual governmental reports commencing at the fracturing of the British Central Africa Protectorate which led to the official formation of the Nyasaland Protectorate. Most records conclude after Nyasaland gained independence in 1964, as Malawi. Documents are categorised as: Administration, Finance, Judicial & Police, Natural Resources, Social Services, Transport and Public Works, Communications and Post Office Savings, plus a miscellaneous category.
Nigeria and Cameroon under colonial rule, in Government reports, 1887-1962 This link opens in a new window These Annual Departmental Reports relating to Nigeria and British Cameroons are organised into 10 groupings: Administration, Finance, Judicial and Police, Natural Resources, Social Services, Transport and Public Works, Communications and Post Office Savings, Commerce, Miscellaneous, and reports relating to the British Cameroons.
Sierra Leone under colonial rule, in Government reports, 1893-1961 This link opens in a new window Includes nine searchable volumes of archive material outlining the decisions and challenges of Sierra Leone's colonial government between 1893-1961. Volumes include records on the justice system, finance, social services, transport and more.
South Africa in records from colonial missionaries, 1819-1900 This link opens in a new window Includes letters and supplementary material compiled by the South African branch of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (now the United Society Partners in Gospel) during the period 1820-1900.
Zimbabwe under colonial rule, in Government reports, 1897-1980 This link opens in a new window Includes twelve searchable volumes of archive material outlining the decisions and challenges of Zimbabwe's colonial government between 1897-1980. Volumes include reports of the Auditor General, as well as records on the justice system, social services, transport and more.

Defining Gender This link opens in a new window UK primary source materials from 1450 to 1910 relating to the study of history, literature, sociology and education from a gendered perspective. Documents include ephemera, pamphlets & periodicals, education documents, books, personal writings, business records, government papers, ballads and literature.
Gender: Identity and Social Change This link opens in a new window Primary sources from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.documenting women's lived experiences of suffrage, gender roles, the feminist movement, the mens movement, employment, education, the body, the family, and government and politics. Date coverage is from the 19th century to early 21st century.
Gerritsen Collection of Aletta H. Jacobs This link opens in a new window Collection of books, pamphlets and periodicals reflecting the evolution of a feminist consciousness and the movement for women's rights. Coverage includes the UK and Europe, the US and Canada, and New Zealand. Contents are primarily in English with some German, French and other languages and cover 1543-1945.

Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Full text manuscript collections, mainly of British Foreign Office and United States consular and diplomatic records. The British records cover Japan only, whilst the US records cover China, Japan and several other countries. Also includes missionary correspondence and journals, plus socio-economic journals focusing on the region. Date coverage is C19 to early C20
Atheism and Anti-War Sentiments in the Bradlaugh Family, 1833-1948 This link opens in a new window Full text papers (1833-1948) of Bradlaugh's parliamentary activities and personal life. Documents include his involvement with and views on : secularism & the National Secular Society, the National Reformer publication, Indian Home Rule, birth control, the Fenian Manifesto and Boer War protests. Some of his daughter's papers are also included (Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner).
China: Trade, Politics & Culture This link opens in a new window English-language primary sources relating to China and the West, providing insight into the changes in China from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the Peoples Republic (1795 to 1980). Includes manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, missionary periodicals, colour paintings, maps and drawings.
Confidential Print: Africa 1834-1966 This link opens in a new window Access to the UKs Colonial, Dominion and Foreign Offices confidential correspondence relating to Africa between 1834 and 1966. Official records, letters, telegrams, dispatches, investigative reports and treaties document the imperial expansion into and subsequent withdrawal from the continent.
Confidential Print: Latin America, 1833-1969 This link opens in a new window The series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. Covering Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969 This link opens in a new window The series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices. Covering countries of the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.
Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961 This link opens in a new window The series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices.Covering the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.
Churchill Archive: a window on history This link opens in a new window Full text documents amassed by Winston S. Churchill throughout his lifetime, providing insights into his career and the wider social and political history of the time. Complementary commentary and pedagogical materials are also included.
Dublin Castle Records 1798-1926 This link opens in a new window The Dublin Castle administration in Ireland was the government of Ireland under English and later British rule, from the twelfth century until 1922, based at Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle Records, 1798-1926 contains records of the British administration in Ireland prior to 1922, a crucial period which saw the rise of Parnell and the Land War in 1880 through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. This collection comprises materials from Series CO 904, The National Archives, Kew, UK.
Foreign Relations of the United States via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Archive of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity, spanning Abraham Lincoln's administration (1861) to the administration of Ronald Reagan (1988).
Papers of Joseph Chamberlain This link opens in a new window Covering 1836-1914, this collection includes letters, account books, minutes and political papers covering a wide range of topics from business history to British domestic and international politics during Chamberlain's political career. Also includes newspaper clippings of his early speeches and personal scrap books and photographs.
Papers of Sir Ernest Mason Satow This link opens in a new window A collection of British diplomat Ernest M. Satow's private, diplomatic and other correspondence, letter books, papers, and diaries along with transcripts. Coverage is 1856-1927 and the collection contains Satow's papers from the UK National Archive alongside transcripts of his diaries and travel journals.
Progressive Era: Robert M. La Follette Papers (1879-1924) This link opens in a new window Documents the early career of Robert M. La Follette in the U.S. political reform movement from 1879 to 1910. Focuses on his fight to reform corruption and injustice in the political system of the state of Wisconsin. Includes correspondence, Governor's letterbooks, speeches and writings, Wisconsin Republican Party records, financial records, and other miscellaneous documents.
Progressive Era: Voices of Reform (1875-1945) This link opens in a new window Contains the correspondence, writings, speeches, diaries and photographs of five leading members of the U.S. Progressive movement: John R. Commons, Charles R. Van Hise, Richard T. Ely, Edward A. Ross and Charles McCarthy. Covers their attempts to solve the problems caused by the growth of industrialisation following the Civil War in areas like employment and child labour, education, taxation, elections, conservation, and regulation of food, public utilities, and corporations.
UK Parliamentary Papers This link opens in a new window Fully searchable full text archive of House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (HCPP), also known as Sessional Papers or Blue Books, dating from 1715 through to today. Includes, Bills, House of Common Papers and Command Papers. Hansard debates archive also available. House of Lords Parliamentary Papers and House of Commons Public Petitions to Parliament also now included.

Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative, and International Law, 1600-1926 This link opens in a new window Explore four centuries of full-text legal history from a global, interdisciplinary perspective.
Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, 1600-1970 This link opens in a new window Access four centuries of historic legal codes from northern, central, and eastern Europe.
Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources, 1600-1970 This link opens in a new window Find state and municipal codes, documents relating to constitutional conventions, and other American legal history resources.
Making of Modern Law: Trials, 1600-1926 This link opens in a new window Read through full-text documents from Anglo-American trials, including transcripts, printed accounts, arbitrations, and books.
Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises, 1800-1926 This link opens in a new window Search this comprehensive collection of legal treatises on U.S. and British law published from 1800 through 1926.
Slavery and the Law (1775-1867) This link opens in a new window Contains petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to U.S. state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. Collected together from hundreds of courthouses and historical societies in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Also includes the State Slavery Statutes collection, a comprehensive record of the laws governing American slavery from 1789-1865.

American Consumer Culture This link opens in a new window This multi-title platform provides cross-searchable access to hundreds of thousands of pages of essential American history across the 19th and 20th centuries.
British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window 19th Century arts ephemera including playbills, scripts and music scores providing details of the cultural history of Britain during this period.
Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture 1790-1920 This link opens in a new window Archival material covering crime and popular culture in the long 19th century. Drawing on global sources, the collection includes trial transcripts, police and forensic documents, photographs, true crime literature and detective novels, and newspaper accounts.
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window Archive of US and UK trade magazines from 1880-2015, covering film, music, broadcasting and theatre, together with film fan magazines and music press titles.
Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window Full colour magazine archive covering from 1867 - current. A chronicle of American, British, and international fashion, culture, and society, offering unique insights into the events, attitudes, and interests of the modern era.
Illustrated London News Historical Archive This link opens in a new window Archive of the Illustrated London News, a weekly newspaper published in London (UK) and the world's first fully illustrated newspaper. It presented a vivid picture of British and world events, including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts, and science. Digitised article and full page scans, and OCR text. Date coverage: 1842-2003
John Johnson Collection This link opens in a new window Collection of ephemera, including posters, broadsides, prints and advertising material from 18th, 19th and early 20th century Britain.
Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992 This link opens in a new window Digital archive of Punch, the satirical weekly magazine published from 1841–1992.
Temperance and Prohibition Movement, 1830-1933 This link opens in a new window Contains the records and publications of the principal organisations which sought to reduce and eliminate the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Includes records of the Anti-Saloon League of America and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Papers of key leaders of the movement are included as well as journals and other publications. This collection contains almost all known records of the major national temperance organisations.
Victorian Popular Culture This link opens in a new window Primary source material relating to popular entertainment in America, Britain and Europe in the period from 1779 to 1930.
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window Archive of the magazine American Vogue. Includes all editions from 1892 to the present. The collection provides an insight into US fashion, culture and society.
Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window Archive of leading women’s interest consumer magazines from the late-19th century to 2005. Mainly US titles, but now expanded to include major UK titles as well. Subject coverage includes gender studies, social history, economics/marketing, media, fashion, politics, and popular culture. Collections I, II and III available.

American Slave Trade Records and Other Papers of the Tarleton Family, 1678-1838 This link opens in a new window Papers from a prominent slave-trading and slave-owning Liverpool merchant family with business interests in Britain and the West Indies. Documents date from the late 17th to early 19th centuries.
Antigua, Slavery and Emancipation in the Records of a Sugar Plantation This link opens in a new window Records of the Tudway family’s Antiguan sugar plantation during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Documents span the period from the early slave trade to the post-slavery economy.
Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window Covers the work of African Americans to abolish slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War. Covering the period 1830-1865, the collection includes the writings of the activists themselves, including pamphlets, newspaper articles and books.
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery This link opens in a new window Database containing, first, the identity of all slave-owners in the British colonies at the time slavery ended and, second, all the estates in the British Caribbean colonies. You can also browse maps, details of estates or explore thematically by type of legacy.
Slavery, Abolition & Social Justice This link opens in a new window Bringing together documents from archives and libraries across the Atlantic world, spanning from 1490 to 2007, this resource allows to explore and compare unique material relating to the complex subjects of slavery, abolition and social justice. Includes original manuscripts, pamphlets, books, paintings and maps.
Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Law and Order in the 19th Century (1636-1880) This link opens in a new window Covers the international and domestic traffic in slaves in Britain’s New World colonies and the United States, providing important primary source material on the business aspect of the slave trade. Also includes a series of letters received by the Attorney General on law and order in nineteenth century America. These letters cover the slave trade, general slavery matters including runaway slaves and rights of slaves, and other legal issues.
Slavery Through Time: from Enslavers to Abolitionists, 1675-1865 This link opens in a new window This collection contains a wide range of documents concerning the African slave trade during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The papers focus primarily on Jamaica and the West Indies, but also cover the experience of other nations and regions.
Slavery and the Law (1775-1867) This link opens in a new window Contains petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to U.S. state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. Collected together from hundreds of courthouses and historical societies in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Also includes the State Slavery Statutes collection, a comprehensive record of the laws governing American slavery from 1789-1865.
Slavery in Antebellum Southern Industries (1700-1896) This link opens in a new window Focusing on the industrial uses of slave labour, this includes company records; business and personal correspondence; documents pertaining to the purchase, hire, medical care, and provisioning of slave labourers; descriptions of production processes; and journals recounting costs and income. Businesses include mining, iron manufacturing, machine shop work, lumbering, quarrying, brickmaking, tobacco manufacturing, shipbuilding, heavy construction; and building of railroads and canals.
Slavery in Jamaica, Records from a Family of slave owners, 1686-1860 This link opens in a new window Records of the Goulburn family’s Jamaican plantations from the 17th to 19th century. The archive provides a comprehensive overview of the operation and eventual abolition of the slave trade in the West Indies.
Slave Trade Records from Liverpool, 1754-1792 This link opens in a new window Papers of Liverpool merchants involved in the transatlantic slave trade during the period 1754-1792, when Liverpool was the busiest slave-trade port.
Slave Trading Records from William Davenport & Co. 1745-1797 This link opens in a new window Archive of the business activities of William Davenport, Liverpool merchant and British slave trader. Records span from the late 1740s till the early 1790s and include trading invoices and accounts, cargo lists and ledgers.
Slavery, Exploitation and Trade in the West Indies, 1759-1832 This link opens in a new window The business records, legal documents, and correspondence of Nathaniel Phillips, a Jamaican slave plantation owner during the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection provides insight into the social and economic history of the transatlantic slave trade.

Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window Explore five centuries (1420 - 1920) of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, new trade routes, and conflict over territories. Featuring rare manuscript and early printed material, highly illustrated maps and documents, diaries and ships' logs from some of the most well-known voyages in history. Note: Scanned documents are in original language and have not been translated.
China, America and the Pacific - Trade and Cultural Exchange This link opens in a new window Exploring the cultural and trading relationships that emerged between America, China and the Pacific region from the early 18th to 20th centuries. The collections includes manuscripts, rare printed texts, visual images, objects and maps.
China: Trade, Politics & Culture This link opens in a new window English-language primary sources relating to China and the West, providing insight into the changes in China from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the Peoples Republic (1795 to 1980). Includes manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, missionary periodicals, colour paintings, maps and drawings.
East India Company This link opens in a new window Digitised primary source archive covering all aspects of British trade with, and government of, India from 1595 to 1947, under the East India Company itself and under the British Crown.
Global Commodities : trade, exploration and cultural exchange This link opens in a new window Full text access to primary sources documenting the trade of global commodities around the world from c1500 onwards.
Literary Print Culture This link opens in a new window The archive of the Stationers Company with records dating from 1554 to the 20th century relating to the history of printing, publishing, the book trade and the development of copyright.
Making of the Modern World: Part 3 1890-1945 This link opens in a new window Monographs and periodicals on political economy, trade, finance, industry, business, labour, and related subjects. The archive supports research on world trade, finance and capital formation, transportation and the growth of cities, industrialisation, imperialism and colonialism, socialism, labour and poverty.
Virginia Company Archives This link opens in a new window This resource documents the founding and economic development of Virginia as seen through the papers of the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624. It provides a rich source for the study of trade between Britain and America.
World's Fairs This link opens in a new window Explore the phenomenon of world's fairs from the Crystal Palace in 1851 and the proliferation of North American exhibitions, to fairs around the world and twenty-first century expos. Through official records, monographs, publicity, artwork and artifacts.

Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window Explore five centuries (1420 - 1920) of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, new trade routes, and conflict over territories. Featuring rare manuscript and early printed material, highly illustrated maps and documents, diaries and ships' logs from some of the most well-known voyages in history. Note: Scanned documents are in original language and have not been translated.
Grand Tour This link opens in a new window Taking the phenomenon of the Grand Tour as a starting point, this resource explores the relationship between Britain and Europe from c.1550 to 1850, exploring the Anglo-European response to continental travel for pleasure, business and diplomacy.
Mapping the World: Maps and Travel Literature - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window The archive presents unique insight into the age of cartography and the rise of leisure travel, spotlighting a distinguished array of historical atlases, gazetteers, travel narratives, and a variety of maps,
Overland Journeys: Travels in the West, 1800-1880 This link opens in a new window Contains a wide variety of material detailing the experiences of settlers in the American West, including many records from men and women making the westward journey and recording their experiences. Comprised of over 290 documents sourced from microfilm collections and based on bibliographies of Western history.
Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) This link opens in a new window RGS archive of geography, travel and exploration from the 15th to the 20th century. Includes extensive map collections, charts, plans, expedition reports, fieldnotes, correspondence, diaries, grey literature, atlases and gazetteers, monographs, photographs, proceedings, lectures and ephemera. Special collections include the Everest expeditions, National Antarctic Expedition, David Livingstone, Younghusband and Ernest Shackleton collections.
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History This link opens in a new window Hundreds of accounts by women of their travels across the globe from the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. Includes unique manuscripts, diaries and correspondence to drawings, guidebooks and photographs. The resource also includes a gallery with hundreds of items of visual material, including postcards, sketches and photographs.

Civil War Era This link opens in a new window Almost 2000 U.S. pamphlets and 8 U.S. newspapers from 1840-1865 covering a vast range of topics including the formative economic factors and other forces that led to the abolitionist movement, the 600,000 battle casualties and the emancipation of nearly 4 million slaves. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1840-1865
Confederate Military Manuscripts and Records of Union Generals and the Union Army (1854-1870) This link opens in a new window Consists of Confederate Military Manuscripts sourced from the holdings of various U.S. archives. Collections cover the perspective of an army commander or an administrative department down to the level of the private soldier, covering all aspects of their military service and experience. Also includes unpublished collections of records of the Union Army.
Medical Services and Warfare This link opens in a new window Explore multiple perspectives on the history of injury, treatment and disease on the front line. Chart scientific advances through hospital records, medical reports and first-hand accounts, and discover how war shaped medical practice across the centuries.
Prize Papers Online 3 This link opens in a new window Interrogations of members of the crew of ships taken during the First, Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars (ca. 1652-1674) and the War of the Spanish Succession (ca. 1701-1733).
Reconstruction and Military Government after the Civil War (1865-1877) This link opens in a new window Covers the early Reconstruction period in the American South. Includes correspondence from the U.S. Army's Office of Civil Affairs and also includes letters, petitions, court proceedings and internal documents related to elections, some covering the newly won rights for African Americans voters. Also includes the records of the Freedmen's Hospital and the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company.