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We are delighted to announce that 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of Mary Evans Picture Library. It seems appropriate that a picture library so synonymous with history has reached its own landmark half century, and we look forward to spending this year taking pride in the fifty, fabulous years spent supplying the best and widest range of historical images possible to our clients.

Our 'Golden Jubilee' is also an opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives of Mary and Hilary Evans, who founded the library in 1964. Without their dedication and commitment to amassing their outstanding collection, the library would not exist today and it is testament to their vision that it remains one of the few remaining independents in the industry, drawing daily on that remarkable archive to fulfil requests from customers around the world.

So, to that end, we are planning some very special events this year, including a series of open house parties at the library where guests can celebrate with us while discovering the inner workings of the library and its fascinating collection.

We have also produced an anniversary book looking back over the past fifty years with personal anecdotes and little-known facts revealing a unique business like no other. Produced in a limited number, 50 Years of Mary Evans Picture Library will be exclusively given away at selected times and events through the year – they could even become collectors’ items of the future!

If you are interested in joining us at one of our open days, and would like to be kept up to date with our anniversary year timetable, please email paul.brown@maryevans.com.

In the meantime, we would like to thank you for being part of our own fifty years of history. We hope you can join us in our birthday celebrations as we look ahead to the next half century!

Mapseeker

We are delighted to announce a new representation agreement with Mapseeker, a leading supplier of historical maps who offer one of the largest selections of global maps, plans and surveys.

Several thousand maps will be made available over the next few months from UK and international town and city plans, to maps of British counties, and countries from every corner of the world. Also in the collection are many specialist maps covering specific topics such as railways.

The collection includes 17th century maps by John Speed, England's most famous mapmaker of the Stuart period, and by John Tallis, the 19th century cartographic publisher who produced global maps from his London business.

One of the unique aspects of the Mapseeker collection is the care that has been taken in scanning and digitally re-mastering so that the images are not only available in very high resolution, but are visually stunning and of outstanding quality. The first selection can be viewed here, and we'll keep you updated as new material is added.

Scent and Scandal

On Saturday 22nd March, Mary Evans Picture Library is teaming up with Odette Toilette, purveyor of olfactory adventures, at Brasserie Zedel’s Crazy Coqs cabaret theatre for an afternoon of scents and stories inspired by the nightlife scene of early 20th century London. Accompanied by afternoon tea and fizz, guests will be entertained by tales of some of high society’s most celebrated and notorious characters and introduced to fragrances that once wafted around the capital’s fashionable clubs, restaurants and parties.

Drawing on images and archive material from the library’s extensive collection, together with historic fragrances specially selected by Odette, the event promises to conjure up the sights and smells of London’s glamorous past.

Join speakers Odette, who has hosted fragrance experiences since 2010, and Luci Gosling from Mary Evans Picture Library on a journey through nightclubs such as The Embassy and The Monseigneur and find out what life was like for a debutante in the 1930s. Enjoy the delicious scandal surrounding the lives of women such as Margaret Whigham (later the notorious Duchess of Argyll) and Idina Wallace of White Mischief fame, and discover why Maidenhead was smart society’s favourite out-of-town destination, not least for its outdoor dance floor.

Situated close to Piccadilly Circus, The Crazy Coqs’ art deco-inspired cabaret lounge makes an evocative setting for this decadent afternoon. Each ticket includes afternoon tea and a glass of fizz, and guests will be given a goodie bag to take away.

Saturday 22 March 2014, 2 – 4.30pm
The Crazy Coqs Cabaret & Jazz Club, Brasserie Zedel,
20 Sherwood St, London W1F 7ED
Tickets £45.00 from www.odettetoilette.com

Scouting around

We continue to caption and scan hundreds of photographs from the archive of The Scout Association which we began representing in 2011. The latest images focus on the vast international Scout Movement which is currently active in 216 countries and territories worldwide. Soon after the publication of Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys, and the first scout camp at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in 1907, the movement established itself throughout the British Empire, beginning with a unit in Gibraltar in 1908. Other countries, from Chile and Argentina to Australia, Thailand, Russia and Cyprus, quickly followed suit, while the World Scout Jamboree continues to be organised every four years, the next taking place in 2015 in Japan.

The images in our latest batch show Burmese scouts at camp; Egyptian scouts practising firefighting; Lithuanian scouts in exile after being banned from Russia after the 1917 Revolution; and scouts taking part in a dragon dance in Nagasaki, Japan. There's also a terrific series of photos of scouts helping in the clear-up and provision of humanitarian aid after the earthquakes that hit Kefalonia and Zakynthos in August 1953 with such devastating force.

Click here for an edited selection.

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.