We strive to make our primary source collections as easy to explore as possible. This is why our skilled editorial team ensure that our collections are tagged comprehensively! Learn about our tags and search filters at britishonlinearchives.com/posts/catego....

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. It is an article titled “Feminine Make Up in India” from The Sphere. Published on 3 December 1938, this piece discusses how women of the subcontinent practiced the “art of personal adornment”.

New collection coming soon—West Africa Magazine, 1917–2003. The back catalogue of this publication offers remarkable insights into a period of significant transformation across Africa and the wider world. Learn more at britishonlinearchives.com/collections/....

Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson. It explores how the title page of one British pamphlet about growing tensions amongst colonial Americans foreshadowed the coming American Revolution in 1776. Read the full post here: buff.ly/OXJgOAA

New collection coming very soon—Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920. Comprising over 55,000 document images, it charts the evolution of witchcraft and magic in England over five centuries. Learn more at britishonlinearchives.com/collections/....

Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan. It is a royal proclamation, issued by King George III in March 1799, forbidding travel from Ireland to Britain.

We’ve grouped our fascinating range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “War, Security, and Intelligence” contains 31 collections, totalling over 1,246,700 document images! Explore them at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/2/war....

Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. This extract from Florence Nightingale’s correspondence shows how cleanliness, morality, and empire shaped responses to cholera. Read the full post here: buff.ly/DVI3TkW

Our new brochure provides detailed overviews of our fascinating India collections, alongside key insights and imagery! Explore it at buff.ly/LsgJrIX. Visit our website at buff.ly/aRu0EI4.

We’ve grouped our extensive range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “Politics and Social Movements” contains 44 collections, totalling over 763,000 images! Explore them at buff.ly/2nUGHsh.

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It shows how the British government sought to prepare the public on the eve of a feared German invasion of Britain during the Second World War. Read the full post here: buff.ly/qrs6AZR

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, examines the role of caricature in the scandal of the “Queen Caroline Affair” of 1820. Read the full post here: buff.ly/bJyu39d

In the spirit of the New Year, our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is an illustration titled “The Birth of the New Year”, published in The Illustrated London News in 1846. Read the full post here: buff.ly/k3CCWt4

We’ve added new material to our popular primary source collection released earlier this year—Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989. The new documents date from the Cold War. Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/iSggKcq.

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is a Christmas cooking guide from December 1939. It provides a snapshot of Christmas on the Home Front during the Second World War. Read the full article here: buff.ly/8hzjwzJ

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a page of festive puzzles, riddles, and jokes published in The Illustrated London News in December 1847. Why not have a go at solving some of these puzzles yourself! Read the full article here: buff.ly/F6WzRJu

We’ve grouped our primary source collections under historical themes! “Slavery and Abolition” contains 19 collections, totalling over 695,000 images. They document Britain’s involvement in transatlantic slavery and opposition to it. Explore this theme at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/11/sl...

New collection out now—The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts. Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared. Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. As we have reached December and the countdown to Christmas has begun, this week’s document brings a festive touch to our “Document of the Week” series.

The back catalogues of The Illustrated London News and its nine so-called “sister” titles are available on BOA’s digital archive! Our new brochure showcases these fascinating collections! We hope that you enjoy perusing it as much as we enjoyed compiling it! Explore it at buff.ly/4PmL2qF

Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson, looks at how The Illustrated London News advertised winter fashion catalogues for readers in the 1840s. Read the full article here: buff.ly/XmTGwJh

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, looks at records revealing conspiracy, plots, and intrigue in BOA’s new collection, Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832. Read the full article here: buff.ly/dP6oCTz

We’ve published a fantastic new primary source collection—"Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832”. Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/Mf1q0nH.

Hey look! Some of our Folklore Society Library & Archive material is included in this digital collection

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article from 1915 depicting Indian soldiers who served in the British Army during the First World War.

We’ve grouped our primary source collections under key historical themes! "Science and Technology” contains five collections, totalling over 120,000 images! Explore this theme here: buff.ly/iqTsQNE.

BOA is delighted to announce the recipients of our 2025 Undergraduate Essay Competition! To read the three winning essays and two highly commended entries, you can visit our Articles page here: buff.ly/TKssPD8

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan. Tommy takes a closer look at “Northern Ireland Observed”. Published in the 1980s, it sought to educate readers on the many positives of everyday life there. Read the full article here: buff.ly/63lmUfi

We’re attending the 2025 Charleston Vendor Showcase! Find BOA at BOOTH 106 on Tuesday 4 November. Find out more about this event here: buff.ly/lQc5k3w. Explore BOA’s primary source collections here: buff.ly/JkSH1W6.

Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by Senior Curator Dr Mary Wills, gives insight into a series of bus boycotts in 1957 which took place in South Africa under apartheid. Read the full article here: buff.ly/K3mT4Jo

Coming soon to British Online Archives — Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920. Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society. Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1

TWe have grouped our unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “Philosophy and Religion” contains 21 collections, totalling over 719,000 document images. Explore the collections in this theme here: buff.ly/w9znlR7 You can explore our accompanying themes here: buff.ly/NzIPddt

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is from the American Women's Club Magazine. It summarises a lively debate staged by club members in February 1929, revealing the tensions shaping women’s health, family planning, and reproductive rights nearly a century ago.

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It offers an eyewitness account of conditions in Auschwitz, as provided by a Jewish doctor who worked in the camp hospital for more than two years. Read the full article here: buff.ly/OlrwTLF

We’ve grouped our primary source collections under key historical themes! “Medicine” contains three fascinating collections, totalling over 230,000 document images! You can explore the collections in the theme of “Medicine” here: buff.ly/gXoy5qD

In the latest instalment of our “Document of the Week” series, our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan, explores reactions to the rise of “private armies” in Britain during the 1970s. Read the full article here: buff.ly/gVAiHHB

Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, details a strike by Indian employees of the Uganda to Kenya Railway in 1914, providing insight into the journeys of indentured labourers in the British empire. Read the full article here: buff.ly/SH8odyg

New collection coming soon—"The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts”. Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it shows that the laws of war could take many forms. Learn more and register your interest here: buff.ly/07IrEsM.

The Illustrated London News (ILN), one of the earliest and most successful weekly illustrated newspapers in Britain, covered royal weddings extensively across its 161 year run. Our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, explores the ILN’s coverage of these state spectacles!

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our former Marketing and Editorial Assistant, Laura Wales, is a photograph of an elephant hauling a heavy load through the streets of Sheffield. The photograph appeared in The Illustrated War News on 9 February 1916.

Author Nishah Malik explores how South Asian women in British print media defied stereotypes, challenged expectations, and reshaped debates on freedom and equality. Read the full paper here: buff.ly/FVXDrBs

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by Editor Nishah Malik, features General Dyer’s 1919 testimony on the Amritsar Massacre. It offers a chilling glimpse into one of the most brutal episodes of British colonial rule in India. Read the full article here: buff.ly/Z1Y7Rve

We are delighted to announce that we have a new primary source collection coming soon—Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832. buff.ly/sC2pFyY To read the full release please click here: buff.ly/UArGwEu

Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson. It is a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Arthur C. Murray, written on 8 April 1937, offering a glimpse into the friendship between the two men amidst rising global tensions.

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article titled “The Impact of the Immigrants” by the English historian, Sir Arthur Bryant, published in The Illustrated London News (ILN) on 2 March 1968.

Don’t Miss Out! Jisc DAC Purchasing Scheme ends on 31 July! Jisc member institutions receive a minimum of a 20% discount on featured products! Now is the time to make great savings! You can explore our full range of primary source collections here: buff.ly/2VcV7VN

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a humourous commentary on a women's fashion accessory in 1888. Read the full article here: buff.ly/olbglGd

Today (17/07/2025) marks 70 years since the opening of Disneyland, California. Disneyland, California, was the first Disney Company theme park, and the only of Disney’s six resorts whose production and construction was overseen by the company’s founder, Walt Disney. buff.ly/Nnb41Jy

Check out our new collection—The Illustrated London News, 1842–2003. Containing over 250,000 images, this fascinating resource brings together the back catalogue of one of the most successful publications in the history of British print media! Explore our new collection here: buff.ly/Q2VfwUN

Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Mary Wills, explores the role of servicemen from the Caribbean in the British Army during the First World War. Read the full article here: buff.ly/ogAKTCj