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.

Explore... photography

Cassiopea (albumen print) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Replica of Camera used by W H Fox Talbot (replica camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Cyanotype of Lastrea cristata, 1853 (photograph; cyanotype) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Three people with two spirits (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Kodak No. 2 Camera, 1889 (box camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pasha and Bayadere (photograph; albumen print) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The photographic library of the 'Daily Herald' newspaper, 1911-1965 © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Leica 1 roll film camera in ca (35-mm camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The Island Pagoda (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Mr and Mrs Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse, London (glass plate negative) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Eastman Kodak No 1 Brownie box (camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Man on the telephone (photograph; colour transparency) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Silhouette of a woman (silhouette; physionotrace) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Kitten splashing in a saucer of milk (gelatin silver print; photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Belinda Lee (photograph; gelatin silver print) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Portraits of prisoners (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Quarter-plate `Cameo' camera used to take 'second phase' of Cottingley Fairies photographs, 1918-1920 (quarter-plate camera; folding bellows camera) Science Museum Group Collection

Bradford Cathedral (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Explore... film and cinematography

Technicolor cine camera (cine camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The Dance in the Park (silhouette) Science Museum Group collection

Birtac 17.5mm Camera/Projector (cine camera) Science Museum Group collection

Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman in 'The Graduate' (photograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Phenakistoscope Disc of Man With Anvil and Drop Hammer (phenakistoscope) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Le Prince Single-lens Cine Camera (cine camera; cinematograph) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Daag (poster; film poster) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Kineoptoscope Projector Mechanism (kineoptoscope) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Two Kineograph Flicker Books (flicker book) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Lee and Turner Three-Colour Projector (38 mm Lee and Turner colour ciné film projector) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Javanese shadow puppet (shadow puppet) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

8 mm ciné camera © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Programme for the Kinemacolor Season at the Holborn Empire (programme) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Kodak Automatic 8 Movie Camera (cine camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The Moon (lantern slide) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Éclair NPR 16mm cine camera (cine camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Magic lantern chromatrope slide (chromatrope; lantern slide) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Explore... television and radio

John Logie Baird's test subject 'Stookie Bill' (ventriloquist’s dummy) Science Museum Group collection

BBC Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone, 1944-1959 (microphone) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

'Televisor' (black-and-white television) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Volume 1 No. 1 of "Television" monthly magazine, 1928 (publication) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Experimental television receiver used by JL Baird in demonstration at Royal Institution, 1926 (television receiver) Baird Television Company; enquiries to Science Museum

Pye Mark III television camera head (television camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Ampex videotape recorder, type VR 1000A, serial nu © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Home built 405-line television receiver, 1951-1953 (television receiver) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

A-52 Murphy radio receiver, 1938-1939 (radio receiver) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Cut-away Marconi-EMI Emitron television camera (camera head; demonstration model) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Philips video cassette recorder, type N1502 © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pye B16T television receiver, 1946-1950 (television receiver) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Philco Predicta tabletop television receiver (television receiver) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Nac E-10 camera (high speed camera) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Trinitron colour television, m (colour television) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Explore... new media

Mattel Intellivision Games Console (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Apple Macintosh Colour Classic, with dust cover, keyboard and mouse (personal computer) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Nintendo 64 games console with accessories and games, 1996-2003 (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sinclair ZX Spectrum microcomputer, 1982-1985 (personal computer) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Apple Newton MessagePad, 1993 (PDA) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sega Master System (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sega Mega Drive console (video game console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Commodore PET 2001-8-BS personal computer, 1977. (personal computers) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Magnavox Odyssey Video Games Console (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Atari 520 ST personal computer. (personal computer) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Nintendo Game Boy, model DMG-01 (games console)

Nintendo Game Boy Advance, model AGB-001 (games console) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Part of the Science Museum Group

National Science and Media Museum

Museum of Science and Industry

National Railway Museum