Page contents > Introduction | LSE: a history in pictures | Man and Cameraman | The Story of a Peace Movement | The Foyle Foundation Project | 1967 & All That | David Steel and Richard Wainwright Project | The Ionian Bank Project | Future plans
Introduction
On this page you will find information on current and recently completed projects. Externally funded project work is carried out by LSE Archives in order to promote and widen access to the collections held in the archives. Projects vary according to the requirements, nature and size of archival collections and can range from a few months to several years. You can follow the latest news on current projects through our blog: Out of the box|.
LSE: a history in pictures
Begun in August 2009 and funded by LSE alumni via the Annual Fund, this project aims to develop a major new visual resource by digitising 1,000 images relating to the history of the School and making them easily accessible for viewing and use via the popular photo-sharing website Flickr|. The images will be selected from the collections held by LSE Archives; these include a wide range of photographs relating to life at LSE, including pictures of staff, students, buildings and events, dating from the 1890s through to the 1980s. The resource will use Flickr to provide easy access to those unfamiliar with traditional archive catalogues; users will also be encouraged to use Flickr's interactive facilities to share related knowledge and comments, thus adding their own notes and reflections to the 'official' history of the School. The project runs until May 2010.
Man and Cameraman
George Bernard Shaw was not only a prolific playwright, writer and social-political commentator and thinker but an avid amateur photographer: taking and collecting around 20,000 images between c1870s-1950. In collaboration with LSE Centennial and Annual Funds and the National Trust (with the support of the Society of Authors), Shaw's collection has been catalogued and over two thirds digitised (those images he took himself and those out of copyright). The collection has been promoted through activities such as exhibitions.
The photographs include formal and informal portraits of Shaw, many images of Shaw's friends and colleagues for example, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Edward Elgar, Augustus John and HG Wells, and of his home in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire as well as other landscapes. There are also photographs relating to Shaw productions such as the filming of Caesar and Cleopatra with Vivian Leigh, Stewart Granger and Claude Rains. Shaw experimented with photographic techniques, like the capturing of candlelight, and the collection shows this: thereby demonstrating how photography was developing as an art form in the period.
Launched in January 2010 the project ran for 18 months. For further details see: Man and Cameraman - revealing the photographic legacy of George Bernard Shaw| and the Archives Hub|.
Man and Cameraman is generously funded by the LSE Centennial Fund|.
The Story of a Peace Movement
'The Story of a Peace Movement', supported by the Nuclear Education Trust and LSE Annual Fund, is part of an archival and educational programme developed by LSE and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of CND in 1958. A touring exhibition using material drawn from the CND collections at LSE Archives has been created, accompanied by an online version|. As the final stage of the project, archives still held at CND National Office will be brought to LSE Archives to create a comprehensive, catalogued and publicly accessible collection at LSE. For more information about the project see CND: The Story of a Peace Movement|.
The Foyle Foundation Project
This three year project has produced detailed catalogues of eight political archives, opening up over 500 boxes of previously unseen material on a wide range of topics including:
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the development of UK local government after World War II
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UK administration of World War II
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UK's involvement and entry into Europe
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Conservative Party policy and 'One Nation' conservatism
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advocacy of disability rights.
An exhibition using material from these eight archives is now available online: Foyle Foundation exhibition on Europe and international relations|. The focus of the exhibition is international relations and it features items relating to the European Union, the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
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In the final stage of the project, 24 archival catalogues have been published and made available on the Archives catalogue|.
For further details see: Foyle Foundation Project|
1967 & All That
The 1967 & All That project was successfully completed in February 2008. It was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which partially decriminalised homosexuality. For further information see: Completed Hall-Carpenter Archives project: 1967 & All That|.
David Steel and Richard Wainwright Project
November 2007 saw the successful completion of a project to catalogue the papers of Liberal politicians Richard Wainwright (MP Colne Valley 1966-1970; Feb 1974-1987) and David Steel (MP Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles 1965-1983; MP for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 1983-1997; Leader of the Liberal Party 1976-1988). The project has opened up two important collections central to the post-war history of the Liberal Party.
Both catalogues are now available online via the Archives Catalogue| (Refs: WAINWRIGHT R and STEEL). For further information regarding other political collections held by the LSE Archives Division please see our guide on Government and Politics|.
The Ionian Bank Project
September 2005 saw the successful completion of a 2 year project to improve access to the Ionian Bank archives through a programme of archival cataloguing, digitisation and conservation. The Project was sponsored by Alpha Bank and has unlocked a fascinating resource for the study of financial, accounting and business history.
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The online catalogue for the Ionian Bank is available through the Archives Catalogue|. The Court of Directors' minute books 1839 to 1917 have also been digitised and are accessible on the following page: Court of Directors minute books|.
To find out about other papers relating to economics and economic history at LSE Archives see Economics and Economic History|.
Future plans
Information on future projects will be provided as soon as plans are finalised.