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About the collections
The Library's collections of these materials arise from the many and varied connections between Britain and India from the foundation of the East India Company in 1600 to the achievement of independence by India and Pakistan.
Private papers
The Private Papers include letters, diaries, memoirs, copies of official correspondence and papers, photographs, scrapbooks, in fact documents of every type originating from private sources rather than the official archives. They relate primarily to the British experience in India in the period 1600-1947, but there is also some material on neighbouring countries from central Asia to Indonesia and from Egypt to Japan, and a few collections extend into the post-colonial period after 1947. Further details are provided elsewhere on this website.
Prints and drawings
The Prints and Drawings collection includes visual materials (European drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, etc.; Indian miniatures and Company paintings; and various other types of oriental drawings) which were mostly made or collected in India and the east and which are held in the Prints, Drawings and Photographs section. There will also be found in the catalogue other relevant types of visual material, from books of prints, drawings within private papers, and oriental manuscripts. Further details are provided elsewhere on this website.
Photographs
The Photographs collection comprises some 250,000 photographs held in the Prints, Drawings and Photographs section, as well as photographs included in private papers or mounted in 19th century printed books. While the bulk of the material relates to India prior to 1947, there are also major collections from neighbouring areas such as Burma, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet and Chinese Central Asia. The photographs range from c. 1850 to the mid-20th century and are particularly strong in archaeological and topographical material and in the illustration of the British experience in India. Further details are provided elsewhere on this website.
Viewing the collections
Private Papers may be consulted in the Library's Asian & African Studies Reading Room at St Pancras in London. The Reading Room is open Mon, 10.00am-5.00pm; Tue-Sat, 9.30am-5.00pm.
The collections of Prints and Drawings and Photographs can be viewed by appointment only in the Library's Asian & African Studies Print Room at St Pancras in London. Prospective users must communicate in advance to make an appointment and to discuss their requirements. 24-hours notice is required to view photographs.
The Print Room is open by appointment: Mon-Fri 2.00-5.00pm.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7856/7327/7663
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
E-mail: oioc-prints@bl.uk
Information on Library admissions policy - Windows Media Format (8.80mb) and how to obtain a British Library reader pass, is provided elsewhere on this website.
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