October marks Black History Month, and, as we continue to strive to increase the diversity of our collection, we felt it was an opportunity to highlight areas of our content that place particular emphasis on the past lives of people of colour.

Large general contributor collections such as Everett or Pictures Now are a useful source for significant figures ranging from Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth to Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey or Josephine Baker, as well as the history of slavery, civil rights movement and Harlem Renaissance.

In addition, Africa Media Online offers events and personalities from the African continent, particularly South Africa.

We also represent the Stephen Bourne collection which looks at Black British society and includes many black personalities in the entertainment industry. The British Caribbean History Collection gives a particularly good representation of black nurses in this country, while street photographers Roger Mayne, Maurice Ambler, Paul Kaye and Shirley Baker all took pictures of black communities in London and Salford.

Also of note is our representation of a rare photograph from Winchester College of the Jamaican-born nurse, Mary Seacole, known for her work during the Crimean War. Sales from this image contribute funds towards the Mary Seacole Trust.

Click here to see a wide-ranging selection of figures and events from black history.

Do get in touch with us if we can help with a picture search, a quote or anything else. You can reach us by email at pictures@maryevans.com or by calling 020 8852 7482.