
February 3, 2025, by Bethan
On trial: The Sketch and The Tatler
We are pleased to bring you trial access to two collections from British Online Archives, The Sketch (1893-1958) and The Tatler (1901-1965).
Both publications were owned by The Illustrated London News (ILN), and provided coverage of aristocratic and celebrity culture, fashion, art, literature, theatre, and sports.
The Sketch collection contains almost 170,000 images from 3,500 issues. It printed the work of many artists, including watercolourist Helen Allingham, crime novelist Agatha Christie, and George E. Studdy, creator of the “Bonzo the Dog” cartoons.
This magazine also often reflected the racist and xenophobic attitudes of the time, and so the collection sheds light on the history of imperialism, colonialism, and slavery, and their representation within Britain’s most affluent circles.
The Tatler collection contains more than 250,000 images and 3,000 issues. It featured articles on actors, such as Anita Page, sports stars, such as tennis champion, Kathleen McKane Godfree, and political figures, such as Winston Churchill. It also printed regular contributions from theatre critic James Agate, and caricaturists, such as Henry Mayo Bateman.
This magazine continued to publish during both World Wars, and this collection provides source material of British society during this time, and of Britain’s wealthy and powerful elite.
The trials run until 3rd March 2025
Do let us know what you think. Please send your feedback to the Libraries Collections team: collections@nottingham.ac.uk
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