Partners
Francis Frith Collection

The Francis Frith Collection

We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Francis Frith Collection, a historical photographic archive of national importance.

Born in Chesterfield in 1822, pioneering Victorian photographer Francis Frith ran a successful wholesale grocery business which ultimately made him a wealthy man. He took a keen interest in photography, travelling to the Middle East and Palestine in the 1850s and later settling in Reigate, Surrey where he established his company as the world's first specialist publisher of photographs.

Within a few years, his images were being sold in thousands of shops throughout the UK. The Francis Frith Collection on Findmypast features over 300,000 photos from this vast archive, the majority of these taken in Great Britain and Ireland.

About the collection

Old photography has a unique power to bring your family history to life by capturing real moments, faces and places from the past. The Francis Frith Collection serves as a visual time capsule allowing you to connect more deeply with the places that shaped your own and your ancestors' lives.

You may have discovered where your ancestor lived and worked through census and land records. But what might those places have looked like at the time? Delve into this rich photographic collection to immerse yourself in images of what your ancestor saw and experienced, helping you to feel closer to their stories and the era that they lived through.

Explore The Francis Frith Collection

'Special Subjects'

Photographs are not only a wonderful resource to help bring your own family history to life, but they also capture the big events and prominent individuals of the time.

Not only does the Francis Frith Collection capture landscapes, cityscapes and everyday life, but you will also be able to discover images of 'Special Subjects'. From images of Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill to beloved family pets, this vast collection is certain to offer something to captivate a range of curious minds and history lovers.

Discover 'Special Subjects' in Francis Frith Collection

Additional information

Discover more about The Francis Frith photographic archive here.

Whether to hang in your own home or to give as a gift to someone special, you can also purchase your favourite Francis Frith images from the collection directly through The Frith Shop.