Mary Evans Picture Library adds more than 9000 images from the Royal Aeronautical Society

Mary Evans Picture Library, the UK's leading source for historical images, has recently added over 9,000 images from the archive collection of the National Aerospace Library, part of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Since its formation in 1866, the Library of the Royal Aeronautical Society - the oldest aeronautical society in the world - has evolved into the National Aerospace Library to become one of the world's major collections. It traces the evolution of man's attempts to conquer the dream of flight from prehistory to modern times through a fascinating mix of books, pamphlets, journals, reports, letters, photographs, lithographs, posters and other non-book material.

Now, for the first time, this vast range of material on the subject is available digitally and exclusively through Mary Evans Picture Library. The society's online collection was launched last year with an introductory selection of striking and nostalgic aviation posters together with material on early hot air ballooning. The addition of 9000+ images means that the library can now offer an in-depth visual history on all aspects of flight.

From early monoplane and glider designs to some of the latest military aircraft, the collection comprehensively charts the A to Z of aviation from airships to zeppelins and includes passenger airlines, aircraft production, air missiles, helicopters, seaplanes, aircraft carriers, famous aviators and engineers, aerial photography from the 1920s as well as some rare examples of vintage magazines for aviation enthusiasts.

Among the hundreds of fascinating images are photographs of the interior of the Graf Zeppelin LZ 127 from the 1930s, pictures of the Hon. Charles Rolls in the basket of his hot air balloon, 'Midget,' and the first air mail flight between Windsor and Hendon performed by Gustav Hamel in 1911. Iconic aircraft including the Supermarine Spitfire, the Hawker Hurricane and Concorde feature in some stunning photography, leading pioneers of flight such as Charles Lindbergh, Louis Bleriot, Jean Batten, Amy Johnson and Samuel Cody are all covered while some of the earliest technical aeronautical drawings by Sir George Cayley demonstrate that serious research into realising man's ambitions to fly significantly pre-dated the Wright Brothers and their famous 1906 flight.

Paul Brown, Managing Director at Mary Evans Picture Library says, "We are delighted to develop our relationship with such a prestigious association as the Royal Aeronautical Society and look forward being able to offer our clients, particularly those in the book, magazine and television sectors, the opportunity to source all their aviation project needs in one place."

The Royal Aeronautical Society collection is now available to search at www.maryevans.com. To see a selection of these magnificent flying machines from this unrivalled archive, please click here.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Gillmor
Mary Evans Picture Library
59 Tranquil Vale
London SE3 0BS, UK
T: +44 (0)20 8318 0034
F: +44 (0)20 8852 7211
tom.gillmor@maryevans.com