The RIC Photographic Collection

Photographs provide information but they can also provide enlightenment and understanding of our family and social history. From photographs we also find a sense of place, and a sense of our own heritage.

Collection Contents

The collection contains over 50,000 images from 1845 to the present as well as copies of engravings, which are useful as they provide a reference point for the photographs.

We have material in a variety of forms, including albumen prints, tintypes and daguerreotype. There is a large collection of negatives of various sizes from A3 sized glass negatives to modern negatives and transparencies. There are also glass positives, lantern slides and a series of albums.

The Shipping Collection (over 3000 images) and the majority of the Mining images (approximately 5000) have been digitised and can be viewed in the library on a MODES database. Please make an appointment to use the computer to view these databases.

Access

The Photographic Librarian is normally available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you wish to see material on other days, please arrange this with the Librarian in advance and material can be prepared for your visit.

Our collection is stored in a temperature and humidity controlled store away from the Library. Immediate access is therefore not possible as material has to be retrieved from the store, so please make an appointment if you are making a special visit.

The indexes to the collection are always available in the Library and may be inspected at any time without an appointment. You can check the indexes and then arrange to view the chosen negatives and prints at a later date.

Copies

Copies can be supplied at the prices shown for personal and research use only, and not for further reproduction. Negatives can be supplied as photographic prints or scanned and printed as digital prints at a high resolution. Prints can also be copied and supplied. Photographic copies of prints in the collection without a negative will require them to be photographed and a copy negative produced. The fee for the copy negative will be charged in addition to the print cost.

Publishing and commercial reproduction of images from the collection can be arranged. Images can be supplied in electronic format to suit your publication needs. We have a scale of fees which will reflect the size of the image and the scale and type of the publication.

Purchase photos online at Photobox

Tel: 01872 242786
E-mail: photos@royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk

Photographic Prints
Price list from May 2008
Prices inc. VAT
Size B&W Sepia
7x5 Prices for Photographic Prints have to be quoted for individually due to the limited demand and availability of photographers who can handle the non standard sized negatives and glass plates from our collection
8x6
10x8
12x10
16x12
20x16
Epson High Resolution
Digital Prints
A4 £8.95 £10.75
A3 £11.95 £13.25
Photocopy A4 £0.60  
Photocopy A3 £0.90  

Postage and packing min £1.50