If this email doesn't display properly, please click here.
www.maryevans.com pictures@maryevans.com Tel: +44 (0)20 8318 0034

It's our last newsletter of the year and with Christmas just around the proverbial corner, we'll be dusting off the mince pies, basting the tinsel and decking the halls with boughs of turkey, just as soon as we've had one more small glass of Christmas punch.

This December we have some unseasonal cigarette cards on FA Cup winners for you, two great books, including a free early Christmas present to one lucky reader, and some exciting news about a major new digitised database.

Happy Christmas to everyone from Mary Evans!




ILN archive now fully searchable

We are delighted that a new digitisation project by ILN Ltd and ProQuest has produced a searchable database of the content from the incredible titles in the Illustrated London News archive.

When the Illustrated London News itself was digitised and made available to us to search four years ago, it proved an invaluable tool in helping us to find images of those sometimes obscure events and unfamiliar people that add so much depth and colour to historical stories. But the archive, which we house and manage at the library, consists not only of the ILN, but of several other titles, including The Tatler, The Bystander, The Sphere, Britannia and Eve, The Sketch, and the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, all of which contain fantastic images documenting and illustrating the first half of the 20th century in particular.

The new database gives us access to a vast range of searchable information, with more material to be added in the coming weeks. Although it's not currently accessible generally, at Mary Evans we are now able to use this amazing tool to search for and supply even more historical images, so do call or email us with your requests.

And for a seasonal nod to all things ILN, please click here.


Remember Scarborough

On the morning of 16th December 1914, a squadron of German battlecruisers and light cruisers commanded by Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper, emerged out of the mist off the east coast of England to unleash a bombardment upon the towns of Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby.

This month marks the 100th anniversary of this naval attack that brought the First World War, fatally, to Britain's shores and sent shock waves through the population.

To read more about what happened during the raid, go to our Picturing the Great War blog.

Goodbye, Old Man

Staying with the war years for a moment, we're proud to announce the publication of Goodbye Old Man: Matania's Vision of the First World War, written by Luci Gosling in association with Mary Evans Picture Library.

For the first half of the 20th century, the artist Fortunino Matania captured some of the world's most memorable and iconic moments. During the First World War, as special artist for The Sphere, Matania produced paintings on a weekly basis, recording the conflict in breathtaking detail and often visiting the front to gather material for his pictures. His most famous painting Goodbye, Old Man, showing a soldier bidding farewell to his dying horse, quickly became one of the most emotive images of the war.

The book, published by The History Press, introduces Matania to a new generation and brings together over 100 of his pictures for the first time, including previously unseen images from the family archive.

Click here to buy direct from the publisher, or here to buy it on Amazon.

And for an edited selection of Matania's WW1 images, please click here.

Retro London

Introducing Retro London: The Way We Were, our second publication to be announced in this newsletter. Published by New Holland, Retro London is a beautifully-presented hardback book with over 300 unique images from our collection reflecting life in London from the start of the 20th century to the Swinging Sixties. Arranged thematically, the book brings together a collection of photographs and other images documenting London at its best—and at its lowest ebb; at its grittiest and at its most glamorous. It's a fascinating and surprising tour through the last century as experienced by one of the world's great cities.

Retro London is available from Waterstones and all good bookshops.

But in a spirit of festive cheer, we have one copy to give away to the first name out of the hat who emails pictures@maryevans.com by 17th December, with the correct answer to the following question: Which country gives Britain the Christmas tree which lights up Trafalgar Square every year? Please put 'Retro London giveaway' in the subject line of your email. Due to postage costs, we can only extend this free giveaway to entrants from within the UK, sorry!

It's a game of two halves

It's always a pleasure to look through the archive here at Mary Evans. Often remarkable finds turn up, usually when you aren't looking for them. We recently came across a lovely set of Player's Cigarette Cards from around 1930 showing vignettes of the players in every FA Cup-winning team from 1883 to 1929.

This was a golden time for Blackburn Rovers, who won the FA Cup six times between 1884 and 1928. In fact, they haven't won it since, but remain in the top eight of all time thanks to those wins. Sheffield United won the last FA Cup final in 1915 before competitive football was suspended because of the First World War. The 1923 FA Cup final was the first to be held in the newly-opened Wembley Stadium (the original!), but the occasion was slightly marred by the chaos of an estimated 300,000 spectators gaining entrance to the 125,000 capacity ground. Bolton Wanderers were the victors on this day.

Click here for the full lineup.

Let us know what you think

We welcome your feedback about this newsletter or any aspect of the Mary Evans Picture Library. Please write to us at pictures@maryevans.com. If you'd rather be unsubscribed from our mailing list, please click here.

Best wishes,

Mary Evans Picture Library

Mary Evans Picture Library Ltd. 59 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath, London, SE3 0BS. United Kingdom.