What do Michelle Obama, Keanu Reeves, Courtney Love, Prince Edward, Russell Crowe and Mary Evans Picture Library all have in common? The clue is in the subject line of this email but, in case you weren't concentrating…we'll all be celebrating our 60th birthdays in 2024!

Way back in 1964, Mary and Hilary Evans began to supply pictures from their swelling collection of antiquarian books, prints, periodicals and ephemera, and a thriving business was born. We're delighted to still be here six decades later, continuing their legacy as one of the UK's oldest and most respected image sources. We've come a long way since the swinging sixties, when Mary rummaged in a shoe box to find a picture for the BBC (her first picture sale). From that modest beginning, the business has expanded and flourished over the years, and we can now boast millions of images online, customers around the world and hundreds of contributor collections adding depth and variety to the unique collection amassed and cherished by the Evanses.

For any company to remain in business for sixty years is an achievement but in the fast-changing landscape of the image industry, we are proud that our library continues to be a by-word for expertise, authenticity and gold-standard customer service. Visitors to our building, a converted Arts and Crafts parish hall in Blackheath in south-east London, are both charmed by the atmosphere and fascinated at the breadth of our archive. And while we fully embrace technological advancements, we like to think you appreciate our traditional approach and reverence for the past. History is, after all, at the heart of what we do.

So we thought we'd devote our first letter of 2024 to delivering news of this year's auspicious anniversary. Do keep an eye on our newsletters over the coming months as we'll be planning an event or two to mark the occasion, and of course, as always, please get in touch if we can help with anything, be that picture research, quotations or if you'd like to visit our fabled building in Blackheath. You can contact us by email at pictures@maryevans.com or call us on 020 8318 0034.

We look forward to helping with new projects as we celebrate our 'diamond jubilee' and want to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024.