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Objects and stories

What you see in our galleries is just the beginning. The National Science and Media Museum is home to more than 3 million items of historical and cultural significance.

Our collection is devoted to the science and culture of image and sound. It includes three pivotal firsts: the world’s earliest known surviving negative, the earliest television footage, and the camera that made the earliest moving pictures in Britain.

In this section you can explore highlights of our collection and find ways to discover more about the objects we look after.

Story collections

Collection highlights

‘Cassiopea’, photographic portrait taken by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1866
‘Cassiopea’, photographic portrait taken by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1866 Science Museum Group Collection
Televisor, black-and-white television made by Baird International Television Ltd, London, 1932
Televisor, black-and-white television made by Baird International Television Ltd, London, 1932 Science Museum Group Collection
Quarter-plate ‘Cameo’ camera used to take second phase of Cottingley Fairies photographs, 1918–20
Quarter-plate ‘Cameo’ camera used to take second phase of Cottingley Fairies photographs, 1918–20 Science Museum Group Collection
‘Windows from Inside South Gallery, Lacock Abbey’, earliest surviving photographic negative, made by William Henry Fox Talbot, 1835
‘Windows from Inside South Gallery, Lacock Abbey’, earliest surviving photographic negative, made by William Henry Fox Talbot, 1835 Science Museum Group Collection
Javanese shadow puppet
Javanese shadow puppet Science Museum Group Collection
BBC Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone, 1944–59
BBC Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone, 1944–59 Science Museum Group Collection
Cyanotype of Lastrea cristata, made by Anna Atkins, 1853
Cyanotype of Lastrea cristata, made by Anna Atkins, 1853 Science Museum Group Collection
‘Stookie Bill’, ventriloquist’s dummy head used by John Logie Baird in his experimental television work, c.1926
‘Stookie Bill’, ventriloquist’s dummy head used by John Logie Baird in his experimental television work, c.1926 Science Museum Group Collection
The photographic library of the 'Daily Herald' newspaper, 1911-1965
The photographic library of the 'Daily Herald' newspaper, 1911-1965 Science Museum Group Collection
Technicolor cine camera
Technicolor cine camera Science Museum Group Collection
The Moon (lantern slide)
The Moon (lantern slide) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Nintendo Game Boy, model DMG-01 (games console)
Nintendo Game Boy, model DMG-01 (games console)
Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera (cine camera; cinematograph)
Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera (cine camera; cinematograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Philco Predicta tabletop television receiver (television receiver)
Philco Predicta tabletop television receiver (television receiver) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Three people with two spirits (photograph)
Three people with two spirits (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Lee and Turner Three-Colour Projector (38 mm Lee and Turner colour ciné film projector)
Lee and Turner Three-Colour Projector (38 mm Lee and Turner colour ciné film projector) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Magnavox Odyssey Video Games Console (games console)
Magnavox Odyssey Video Games Console (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Replica of Camera used by W H Fox Talbot (replica camera)
Replica of Camera used by W H Fox Talbot (replica camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Programme for the Kinemacolor Season at the Holborn Empire (programme)
Programme for the Kinemacolor Season at the Holborn Empire (programme) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Pye Mark III television camera head (television camera)
Pye Mark III television camera head (television camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

More stories from our collection

A short history of...

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More ways to explore our collection