1938 - 1957
The complete facsimile archive
of the iconic newspaper that
defined the style of
photojournalism in the 20th
Century
Saturday, September 9, 1939, Issue 10
“As a piece of British journalism Picture
Post is unique. It presents a rich and
varied pattern of British life and is a
treasure trove for the growing number
of social historians…”
PROFESSOR PETER STANSKY
Stanford University
Saturday, July 14, 1956, Issue 15
CONTENT
WHAT IS THE PICTURE POST?
• Picture Post’s ground-breaking use of photojournalism publicised both
great events and everyday life, capturing the imagination of the British
people.
• With its populist editorial stance and candid 35mm photography, the
Picture Post became an essential window on the world before the advent
television.
• Within 6 months of its first issue, circulation soared to 1.7 million. During
WWII it is estimated that readership was at a staggering 80% of the British
population.
KEY FEATURES OF THE PICTURE POST HISTORICAL ARCHIVE
•The complete run from 1938-1957, including almost 50,000 pages
•Digitally captured in full colour from print
• In depth indexing and full text searchability
• Multiple search paths, browse options and limiters to pinpoint results quickly
• Users can magnify and crop images as required and store results
• Cross-searchable with other Gale products
7 July 1945
DISCIPLINES COVERED:
• History
• Politics
• Literature
• Media & Journalism
• Art & Photography
• Cultural Studies
• Family and Local History
14 July 1951
A RESOURCE FOR HISTORY:
• An image gallery of turning points in the mid-20th
century – from the years leading up to World War II to the
first decade of the Cold War – the archive provides
remarkable primary sources for any student, teacher or
researcher of 20th century history.
• For the social historian, it offers an intimate
photographic chronicle of how Britain’s poor, working,
middle and upper classes lived from day to day and how
these lives changed through the 1940s and 1950s.
‘This is War!’
Saturday, December 03, 1938; pg.
14; Issue 10
‘The Life of a Tramp’
Saturday, April 01, 1939; pg. 33;
Issue 13
A RESOURCE FOR POLITICS:
• The paper’s liberal and staunchly antifascist manner reflected the popular
sentiments and political attitudes of the day –
as such it is a telling measure of the popular
opinion at the time.
• The publication was acclaimed for its
coverage of government activities, including
the wartime Cabinet.
• With its formidable readership it was able to
exert influence over politics especially with
the foundation of the British welfare state.
Saturday, May 18, 1940; pg. 24-25; Issue 7
A RESOURCE FOR LITERATURE:
• The archive provides students and researchers of
literature with the social context to understand great 20th
century works, especially wartime and post-war
literature.
• Users will find serialisations of contemporary novels
such as Graham Greene’s The Quiet American and Evelyn
Waugh’s Decline and Fall.
Saturday, August 16, 1947; pg. 21; Issue 7
A RESOURCE FOR MEDIA AND JOURNALISM:
• For teachers and students of media and journalism, the archive delivers numerous instances of how to
tell the news through images with its pioneering use of photojournalism.
What a German boy has to do
Saturday, July 13, 1940; Issue 2
What a British boy likes to do
A RESOURCE FOR ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY:
• Many of the major photographers of the 20th century worked for the publication, so a large body of
photographers’ work is available for study.
Kurt Hutton
Grace Robertson
Bert Hardy
A RESOURCE FOR CULTURAL STUDIES:
• The publication covered all aspects of everyday
life, including high culture and popular
entertainment – from cinema, literature and
theatre to games, sports and cooking.
Saturday, June 8, 1946; pg. 10, Issue 10
Saturday, January 7, 1950; pg. 36-37, Issue 1
A RESOURCE FOR FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY:
• The Picture Post is also a landmark heritage collection for family and local history researchers. Offering
wider ranging political coverage of regional towns and local characters.
Saturday, March 6, 1948; Issue 10
Saturday, January 19, 1946; pg. 12, Issue 3
INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE:
• Researchers will find a wealth of
photojournalism on countries from around
the world during the 1930s-1950s. The
mission of the paper to tell a story in
pictures is never more powerfully felt than
in its international coverage of events.
• With its stable of talented
photographers, the magazine turned its
lens on major national and international
social and political issues of the day,
bringing them into sharp focus.
Saturday, July 5, 1952; pg. 15, Issue 1
PERSIAN GULF
U.S.A
AUSTRALIA
Saturday, October 15, 1938; page 19, Issue 13
Saturday, November 05, 1938; page 23, Issue 6
Saturday, February 07, 1942; page 7, Issue 6
CHINA
SOUTH AFRICA
Saturday, May
01, 1943; pages
8-9, Issue 5
Saturday, July
08, 1939; page
35, Issue 1
PRODUCT FEATURES
PRODUCT DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY:
• Homepage with basic search
• Advanced Search
• Results Page
• Page Display with specifically designed viewer
• Print, download, mark list, email documents
• Browse Editions and Contributors
HOMEPAGE:
SPOTLIGHT ARTICLES
Shortcut to pre-selected
highlight content
NAVIGATION
BASIC SEARCH
Keyword/Entire Document
and limit by date
ADVANCED SEARCH:
Keyword or phrase search in
Article Title, Keyword, Entire
Document, Caption,
Contributor
and Document Number
Set FUZZY none-high
LIMIT the search
section and/or
article type
LIMIT by
illustration type
RESULTS:
Results can be SORTED by
ascending and descending
order
Results can be LIMITED by
publication section and
article type
SEARCH within results or
start a new search and also
mark items
From each
THUMBNAIL
choose between
Article, View
Page and
Browse Issue
PAGE DISPLAY:
Selecting ‘PAGE’
from the results
displays the entire
page of the issue in
which the article
appears. The article
can be viewed as a
clipped image as
well. Other articles
from the page can
also be selected
Search within ISSUE or new
search
ZOOM and Page Navigation
Browse issue and see
RESULTS contained within the
same issue
Mark item, print, email,
bookmark and use the citation
TOOL
BROWSE BY DATE:
All the front pages of
the ISSUES for the
selected year will
display from JanDec. Click on the
thumbnail to browse
the whole issue
ISSUE DISPLAY/RESULTS:
Selecting the front cover
thumbnail image from
the BROWSE ISSUE
displays the front page
and all clipped articles
on that page
The ‘Results for this
issue’ displays a
LIST VIEW of the
pages in the edition
for an overview of
the content
BROWSE CONTRIBUTOR:
Browse contributors to the Picture
Post alphabetically
Select BROWSE CONTRIBUTOR from
the Browse drop down menu
Type in the first few letters of the
name or use alphabet LINKS to
select a name
Once the name has been selected
the corresponding articles and
pages display in a RESULTS list
CONTRIBUTOR RESULTS:
The results from selecting a contributor displays in the same way as a
normal search RESULTS page – the pages/articles can then be viewed
in more detail by selecting ‘Article’ ‘View Page’ or ‘Browse Issue’
SEARCH HISTORY:
Search History
Enables the
user to revisit
and REVISE
previous
searches
MARKED ITEMS:
Add items to the list to
REVISIT at a later point.
Users can also save, email
and print a list of results or
an article
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY OF BENEFITS:
• Offering nearly 50,000 pages of photojournalism.
• “Makes the inaccessible accessible”
- Complete print run
- Archive is all in one place and is convenient to use as
well as saving valuable shelf space.
• An essential resource across a range of disciplines
including History, Politics, Literature, Photography, Arts and
more.
• National and International content.
• Multiple search and limit options.
• Browse editions week by week, cover to cover.
Saturday, August 7, 1948; Issue 6
To register for your free trial or request further information please contact us:
Email: emea.marketing@cengage.com
Visit: www.gale.cengage.co.uk/picturepost
Call us: +44 (0)1264 332424