Science and Society Picture Library

These galleries are specifically chosen by the researchers to best demonstrate parts of our collection.

It’s that time of year when thoughts begin to turn to all those wonderful new projects on the horizon of the coming new year. Time to give inspiration and creativity a little nudge and see if it stirs up that next great idea.

One good way to get those new ideas stirring is to explore our collection of new images at the Science and Society Picture Library.

Several months ago curators at the Science Museum were preparing a new gallery ‘Measuring Time’ and took from storage a 1560 painting by Maso da San Friano. In the portrait the figure, thought to be Cosimo I de Medici, is holding a timepiece in rather conspicuous fashion. Now, experts in Italy and the UK are trying to determine if the picture may be the oldest painted depiction of a true working watch.

The Science Museum’s gallery will feature clocks and watches from one of the largest collections of timepieces in Britain. And the Picture Library offers many of these timepieces, including the San Friano painting, in our online collection.

In marking the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing, SSPL is celebrating space exploration this summer.

From the early years of the NASA program, to the age of the Space Shuttle missions, planetary probes and the Hubble Space Telescope, SSPL has hundreds of images of near and far space that are ready for your use.

SSPL offers not only a market-leading collection of scientific and historical images, we are a valuable resource among advertising, marketing and design professionals for eye-catching images of distinction.

Explore our collection of creative photography or contact one of our research professionals for help in finding that perfect image.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of George Eastman registering the trademark Kodak on September 4, 1888.

Our Kodak collection includes thousands of images illustrating the history of cameras, photography and film. This gallery features only a few images in this remarkable collection. Search our site for 'Kodak' for more, or contact one of our researchers for help in finding the perfect image for you.

Genius of Photography
	BBC Four’s stunning six-part series ‘The Genius of Photography’ presents some of the most important and inspiring photographs ever taken, including photos from the collections of the Science and Society Picture Library. SSPL offers over a million images from the diverse collections of the Science Museum, the National Media Museum and the National Railway Museum. With over 50,000 images digitized, an on-site archive and a professional research staff, we can help you find images to fill every need. In addition to historical landmarks in the development of photography, we represent the Royal Photographic Society Collection, the Daily Herald and the Manchester Daily Express newspapers as well as the collections of significant photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron, William Henry Fox Talbot and Tony Ray-Jones. Our easy-to-navigate site will help you to find the images you are looking for quickly and easily. And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, contact one of our experienced researchers for assistance.

Silhouette Art
	Harry Laurence Oakley, with his 'magic scissors', made tens of thousands of silhouettes between the 1920s and 1950s. Oakley produced portraits, book and newspaper illustrations, and stationery. He perfected the technique of speedily cutting folded paper with scissors, with no prior drawing, and found a good market for portraits. During his time as a soldier in the First World War he designed posters for the army. After the war he continued to earn his living from silhouettes and made portraits of many famous people including royalty

Nanotechnology
	Nanotechnology is a growing scientific discipline that is having a profound impact on the development and manufacturing of products in medicine, health and beauty aids, fashion and textiles, sports and recreation and other areas. It is a field of applied science that focuses on the design, synthesis and application of materials on the nanoscale, or in microscopic dimensions.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
	2006 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, arguably the greatest engineer the world has ever seen. Science & Society Picture library hold a large number of Brunel-related images, of which this gallery is but a small selection.

The Royal Photographic Society
	The Science & Society Picture Library now represents the Royal Photographic Society - one of the most important collections of photography in the world.

Sports Personalities
	Images held by the SSPL cover a wide range of subjects and collections. This gallery details some of the many sports personality images we currently hold (all images courtesy of the Manchester Daily Express).

Conflict
	The Science & Society Picture Library holds thousands of images portraying conflicts (and their effects on everyday life) from all across the world.

Rail Travel
	More than a million negatives documenting the origin and growth of railways to the present day are available from the National Railway Museum (courtesy of the SSPL). We also have the largest collection of railway posters in the world (commissioned by British Railways and its predecessors from some of Europe's leading graphic artists to advertise destinations within Britain and abroad).

Absinthe
	Known by a host of other names (of which 'green fairy' is perhaps the most famous), absinthe is a strong, green liqueur with a high alcohol content (typically anywhere between 50 and 80%) which is flavoured with a number of aromatic herbs. It is the drink's wormwood content which provides it with its notorious hallucinogentic properties and has caused it to to be banned in a number of countries. Science & Society Picture Library have recently added these (and other absinthe-related images) to its ever-growing range of diverse collections. To see the full range of absinthe images, simply select any of the pictures below and click on the 'Absinthe' keyword.

Early Flight
	SSPL hold a wide range of images charting man’s earliest attempts at unpowered flight, through to the days of the Wright Brothers, Cody, Bleriot and the pioneering days of modern aviation.

Sexual History
	SSPL hold an extensive range of images depicting historical sexual devices and practices.

Kirlian Photography
	Kirlian photography is a scientific method of recording the electro-magnetic field around subjects, producing both creative and, where appropriate, informative images. Subjects covered include human body parts, fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants, and metal objects such as scissors, kitchen utensils and handcuffs. All photographs in this gallery were taken by Natasha Seery.