Hello there Picture Peeps. Welcome to our midsummer newsletter, as packed with gorgeous stuff as an abundant rose garden in June. This month we have some major moves happening at Mary Evans, some cute and covetable gifts featuring images licensed by us, a tip off about some forthcoming royal anniversaries and as usual, we signpost some interesting new content.

All Change!

This month, we say a fond farewell to our Managing Director Paul, who has faithfully served the company for eighteen years. Many of you will know Paul as he's been a stalwart of the image library industry for more than four decades. He joined Mary Evans back in 2007 from Rex Features where he had worked for twenty-six years, much of that spent simultaneously serving on the board of BAPLA. We thank Captain Paul for steering the good ship Mary Evans all these years, and wish him the very best for his retirement, although he'll be quick to remind us that he's not exactly retiring, and plans to do lots more travelling and taking pictures. He'll also be maintaining links with the library in an occasional advisory capacity.

With Paul departing, we'd like to welcome our new MD, Matt Hamer. As the founder and owner of Media Storehouse, our print provider, we're pleased to have found someone who is familiar with what we do and who comes with bags of experience and technical know-how. Welcome Matt.

We also waved off our IT Manager Mark last month and promised to introduce you to his replacement. Please offer a warm welcome to Louis Bennette, who has been with us for over a month and is doing a sterling job getting to grips with the Mary Evans website, and other systems and general technical gubbins. You'll be pleased to know Louis is taking all this in his stride and that users of our website can continue to enjoy a smooth ride!

WAAF in Wartime

We've recently added a fascinating collection of photographs capturing the hidden story of wartime filmmaking and the pioneering role of women in military photography during the Second World War from the Historic England archive. The collection was put together by Dorothy 'Knicky' Chapman, who was part of the first intake of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) at the No. 2 School of Photography in Blackpool before being posted to the famous Pinewood Studios, the central hub of military filmmaking. This remarkable collection has over 150 photographs capturing the perspective of a woman wartime photographer, featuring behind-the-scenes shots from Chapman's posting at Pinewood Studios and previously unseen images of her WAAF training. Knicky (pronounced Nicky) Chapman was posted to the RAFFPU at Pinewood Studios, where she assisted in the production of military films, such as 'The Big Pack' and 'Operational Height'. These provided rare insight into the RAF's operations and were crucial for maintaining public morale during wartime.

Chapman was one of the select few to work on the Stills department, and the collection features stills from a number of the RAF's film sets and productions. She also worked alongside notable talents who would later shape the British film industry, including a young Richard Attenborough. You can take a look at this fascinating collection here.

Woollyworths

We adore the whimsical illustrations of Molly Brett, which we license through our representation of the Medici Society archive, so we're delighted to point you in the direction of a new website offering some lovely products featuring her pictures. US-based Woollyworths offers a charming range of covetable items including mugs, clocks, tea towels, baby changing mats, snuggly blankets and even pet food mats. We can't resist some of these goodies ourselves but also think they are a great example of how the rich seam of illustration available at Mary Evans can be applied in different ways.

2025 royal anniversaries

This year marks a few significant royal anniversaries which we wanted to flag up. It will be 125 years since the births of Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25th June) and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (4th August). In addition to this, the Duke of Kent celebrates his 90th birthday on 9th October. We have these exclusive photographs of the Duke as a toddler during a shoot by Madame Yevonde requested by the Kents in 1937. Yevonde recalled the day in her memoirs writing: "He seemed extremely interested that his drawing-room had been turned into a photographer's studio and, picking up an electric light fitting, examined it intently... He was a dear little boy, trotting about in his blue frock and red shoes, but too energetic to be an ideal photographer's model... He did not appear at all shy or embarrassed and seemed rather to enjoy the sitting, for when it was over and he was carried away he very much protested."

Finally, this December marks 100 years since the death of Queen Alexandra (the Duke of Kent's great-grandmother) at Sandringham in Norfolk. We have a lovely array of pictures of this most elegant of Queen Consorts.

Capital Collection

Our world domination as purveyors of postcard images continues apace, and the latest collection to be added to the mix is the well-known St. Leonards-based publisher, Judge Sampson. We will no doubt devote a complete newsletter to this collection in the future, but for now, we wanted to turn your attention to the first set of images, numbering almost 600, offering views of London from the 1910s and 1920s. Alongside scenes showing patients at Bart's Hospital lying in their beds in the hospital's central courtyard, or a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, there are a number of atmospheric views of London at night featuring chestnut sellers, street cleaners as well as famous landmarks such as the Gaiety Theatre. Click here to view the Judge Sampson Collection so far.

CEPIC

A sizeable Mary Evans/Ardea contingent (of Paul, Matt, Tom and Dawn) travelled to Juan-les-Pins, France in mid-May for the annual CEPIC Congress held at the Palais des Congrès. Over three days and 23 face-to-face meetings we met many of our current International partner agencies, developed working relationships, opened up new territories for Mary Evans content and instigated exciting new partnerships. Also in a first for CEPIC, Tom participated in a 'Speed Dating' session of quick-fire 1 minute meetings, a novel innovation bringing face-to-face networking back to the forefront of the event. We hope the contacts made and re-established will develop into multiple new opportunities on many fronts over the coming months.

We hope our newsletters are useful as a source of inspiration, ideas - and amusement. If we can help provide pictures for your latest project do get in touch. You can reach us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 020 8318 0034.