Blogs-And-Stories

From our experts
From our experts

Librarian’s pick: Queer history books to read

Four books on LGBTQ+ history from the museum’s library that you should read, if you haven’t already

Publishing & Media
Publishing & Media

Who was Charles Dickens?

19th-century London’s most celebrated writer gave us Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol

Lifestyle & Leisure
Lifestyle & Leisure

The London life of William Shakespeare

The work of this celebrated English playwright has strong roots in the capital

Art & Design
Art & Design

Henry Grant photographed London from every angle

Countless London stories in black and white

Music & Subculture
Music & Subculture

Through the lens of Charlie Phillips

One of the most talented, but long overlooked, photographers of 20th-century Britain

War & Weapons
War & Weapons

Mary Seacole: Doctress of the Crimean War

The determined businesswoman and caregiver who looked after troops at war

From our experts
From our experts

Poetry, plagiarism & treason: Early years of The Gentleman’s Magazine

Find out more about the home of England’s first ‘magazine’

Publishing & Media
Publishing & Media

The history of the BBC

The world-famous BBC made its first radio broadcast from London over 100 years ago

Rights & Activism
Rights & Activism

Olaudah Equiano: Writer & abolitionist

A freed enslaved man whose life story drove the abolition of the British trade in enslaved Africans

Rights & Activism
Rights & Activism

The life story of Mary Prince

A vital narrative of enslavement that boosted the abolitionist movement

Publishing & Media
Publishing & Media

Charles Dickens’ ‘Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi’

The Victorian author charts the turbulent life of a beloved London clown

Publishing & Media
Publishing & Media

A caricaturist takes on the Great Exhibition, 1851

George Cruikshank’s satirical sketches shine a light on the craze caused by this London event