All the staff at Mary Evans Picture Library are greatly saddened by the news of the recent death of long-standing contributor John Massey Stewart. John's remarkable collection of archive artwork, ephemera, postcards, sketches and original documents, coupled with his own fine photography have greatly enhanced our library's content since we were first introduced in 2008. From the very first meeting, it was clear that John shared a similar passion for history, storytelling and collecting which we deeply value at Mary Evans. Having run his archive independently for many years, John was seeking a like-minded partner to help digitise large sections of the collection and bring the wonders held within to a far wider audience. I recall reporting back to Hilary Evans having first met with John, and his excited reply of 'Ah, Massey Stewart - now there's a fine collection'. It was the only confirmation I needed that we were not only the right home for his material, but here was a meeting of minds between two quite similar collectors, scholars and image enthusiasts.

John was an authority on Russia and the former Soviet Union. As a writer, lecturer, photographer and environmental activist, he had visited the USSR/Russia thirty times since 1960 and crossed the country twice. In 1961 John made what was an exceptional, and possibly unique, 12,500 mile trip with David Ashwanden in a Mini Minor lent by the British Motor Corporation. Their journey took them by ship from London to Leningrad and then south by car through the Ukraine to Odessa, then by ship to Yalta and ship again after some days to the east coast of the Black Sea through Georgia and over the Caucasus. David then drove the car home and John went on by plane to Central Asia and the USSR's Pacific coast near Vladivostok. This odyssey formed the basis of his 1969 book 'Across the Russias', offering a rare glimpse of life across towns and cities in former Soviet republics, experiencing folk rituals, traditions, the arts and architecture along the way.

John's many trips and his accumulated expertise on Russia led him to amass a quite extraordinary collection of images covering all aspects of this vast country and its tumultuous history. The older archival material offers a comprehensive history of Russia, usually in the form of postcards; from peasant life in Imperial Russia under the Romanovs to revolution and the Soviet regime, as well as costume, rituals, traditions, the arts, architecture and places. The second part features photography of John's travels, particularly from his 1960s adventures, offering a unique glimpse of life across the former Soviet republics from Tallinn to Tashkent. The collection also boasts excellent material celebrating diverse cultures across the continents, with some particularly striking imagery from New Zealand.

By the nature of the way we work in partnership with our contributors, one often forms close friendships with many interesting people. This was certainly the case with John with whom I immediately 'clicked', spending extremely enjoyable days at his home in Highgate, discussing far more than just images and 'work'. Often the day was punctuated by beautiful classical music emanating from an adjoining room (John's late wife Penelope was a highly-respected and talented cellist) as well as deep excavations of cupboards and various filing cabinets. Every phone call would always begin with John enquiring after my family and most emails concluded with the words 'Tom, hope you thrive - best, John'. Although there is sadness that these happy times spent working in harmony together are over, the memory of a kind and fascinating man will endure, and his picture collection will continue to delight and excite. I cannot wait to continue making more images available to grow John's legacy with the help and guidance of his daughter Julia and the digital skills of his son-in-law Karl.

Tom Gillmor, Head of Content.

Click here to view a selection from John's Historical Image Archive.

Click here to view a selection of John's Superb Photography.