Teenagers, eh? We've all been one. Except, once upon a time, nobody had really heard of teenagers. They didn't exist. Kids were kids and then they were, um, adults. But we thought with 'back to school' on everyone's mind this week, we'd devote our latest Collections Crossover newsletter to that in between stage of life, and highlight a few contributor collections where the teenager appears front and centre.

The first use of the term 'Teen Ager' appeared in the American press in 1913, but in reality, the fully-fledged 'teenager', denoting the years from thirteen to nineteen only came to be widely recognised in the late 1940s and a fully-fledged phenomenon by the 1950s. This was just at the time pioneering photographer Roger Mayne was roaming the streets of West London and documenting the communities around North Kensington. Mayne's perspicacious eye captured teddy boys and girls, mods and various adolescents playing, preening, scowling, smoking. Maybe some of you saw examples of this in the recent Courtauld Gallery exhibition, 'Youth' which celebrated this aspect of Mayne's work and only closed last weekend.

Another of our photographers to capture the teenage years with her camera was Shirley Baker; among her photographs are mods in Manchester, goths and skinheads in Stockport and punks in Camden. Take a look at this round-up of teenage tribes here.

A quick mention too for this small yet amusingly cringe-worthy set of pictures by Andrew Besley taken at Cornish discos and youth clubs in the 1980s. Brace yourselves.

Across the pond, the clean-cut American teenager was a whole different vibe. The Classicstock collection is brilliant if you're looking for preppy, bobby sox-wearing, soda pop-sipping, jukebox jiving types.

Back to Blighty, the retrotastic Land of Lost Content Collection is full of teen memories, from make-up ads and badges to platform shoes and romance magazines. Here's a quick snapshot.

On the subject of magazines, our older publications give an interesting perspective on the teenager before it officially came into being. Boy's Own and Girl's Own magazines offered wholesome activities, advice and amusements for young men and women, while the ILN magazines, particularly the Tatler and the Sketch, were wild about debutantes and showcased the season's prettiest debs as well as the balls, parties and fashions they followed.

Finally, our 1.5 million film images number many movies that pay homage to the teenager. By no means exhaustive, here are just a few of our favourites.

Don't forget, if you need any help with research, quotes or any questions you might have about using the library, just call us on 020 8318 0034 or email pictures@maryevans.com.