Mary Evans joins forces with the Illustrated London News

Mary Evans Picture Library, the UK's leading source of historical images is delighted to announce that it is now exclusively managing and housing one of the greatest sources of 19th and 20th century history, The Illustrated London News Picture Library. The picture library, one of the most important magazine archives in the country, will remain under the ownership of the customer publishing and digital agency, Illustrated London News Limited, which has just completed a management buyout from its former parent company, Sea Containers.

The Illustrated London News, launched by Herbert Ingram in 1842, was the world's first illustrated newspaper and is an unequalled visual document of the past 160 years. The archive also consists of eight other titles: The Graphic, The Sphere, The Sketch, The Bystander, The Tatler, The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, The Illustrated War News and Britannia and Eve. All of these publications came together under the collective title of "The Great Eight" in the late 1920s with the iconic Illustrated London News as its flagship. As well as being an excellent resource for images of events and personalities, the library also boasts a rich seam of illustration by some of the great artists of the period, adding a creative dimension to our strong editorial holdings.

With its established reputation for history, its knowledgeable staff and the expertise it would bring to marketing this incomparable source, Mary Evans was a natural choice to represent the ILN Picture Library. The library is also reunited with Luci Gosling, Mary Evans' Business Development Manager who spent three years as manager of the ILN Picture Library and has an in-depth, specialised knowledge of the collection.

Lisa Barnard, Managing Director of Illustrated London News Limited, said: "We are delighted that Mary Evans Picture Library will be representing and looking after the ILN Picture Library. Not only have they the expertise and knowledge to market the collection both dynamically and sympathetically, but they are able to give the library a safe home. We are confident that this will be a long and fruitful partnership, as we embark on our plan to digitise the archive"

Paul Brown, Managing Director of Mary Evans, said: "Representation of the ILN Picture Library now confirms our place as the leading source for historical images. The ILN Picture Library complements our own collection and vice versa, as well as simultaneously adding a further dimension, particularly in the case of 20th century events and personalities. We are both proud and delighted to be able to add such a prestigious collection to the library".

Clients of the ILN Picture Library can choose to search exclusively through the library's own web site which will continue to retain its own brand identity, or to search across both collections on the Mary Evans Picture Library site. A dedicated ILN telephone line at Mary Evans remains in place (020 7805 5585). Click here for a taste of this wonderful collection.

For further information, please contact:

Paul Brown
Managing Director
Mary Evans Picture Library
59 Tranquil Vale
London SE3 0BS, UK
T: +44 (0)20 8318 0034
paul.brown@maryevans.com
www.maryevans.com



Lisa Barnard
Managing Director
Illustrated London News Ltd
45 Beech Street
London EC2Y 8AD, UK
T: +44 (0)020 7805 5550
lisa.barnard@iln.co.uk
www.iln.co.uk