Stories from the Daily Herald Archive

Discover incredible images of everyday life and events that shaped the 20th century taken for the Daily Herald, once the world's top-selling newspaper.

The Daily Herald was a British national newspaper published between 1912 and 1964, and became the top-selling newspaper in the world, with a monthly circulation of more than 2 million.

Throughout its 50 years of publication, the newspaper archived 3.5 million photographs, contact sheets and glass negatives, creating a rich visual collection of the first half of the 20th century. Today, the Daily Herald Archive is cared for by the National Science and Media Museum, and is one of our largest and most fascinating collections.

Dive into stories from the archive, browse photographs by theme or create your own edition of the Daily Herald using our AI-powered experiment with Google Arts & Culture.

Daily Herald Archive

Collection Online

The Daily Herald Archive contains 1000s of photographic prints and negatives created by the newspaper's in-house picture library—explore them in our online collection.

Create your own Daily Herald

Explore 50 years of British history through a generative edition of the Daily Herald newspaper and curate your own personalized version of the newspaper.

Daily Herald Archive on Google Arts & Culture

Explore 25 specially curated stories from every corner of the archive.

Explore stories from the archive

Read all about it! The story of the Daily Herald

The history of allotments

Allotments have provided space for people to grow their own fruits, vegetables and plants since Anglo-Saxon times. These photographs from the Daily Herald Archive show how they developed and were used in the 20th century.

Women in agriculture

These photographs from the Daily Herald Archive illuminate the role of women in British farming and agriculture throughout the 20th century.

Down at the country show: Farming photography in the 20th century

Delve into the agricultural achievements of the past and discover innovations in farming as you explore a rural corner of the Daily Herald Archive, filled with beautiful and intriguing photographs.

Post-war homelessness: Makeshift homes between 1945 and the early 1950s

In the aftermath of the Second World War, many people were left homeless. Photographs from the Daily Herald Archive show some examples of the temporary solutions that resulted from this housing shortage.

Houses of the future: British post-war architecture from modernism to futurism

Architectural design after the Second World War, especially in the 1960s, was characterised by experimentation and innovation. See how art movements and social change influenced housing in Britain.

The history of the Ideal Home Show

Photographs from the Daily Herald Archive show model houses, domestic appliances, and the latest trends featured at the Ideal Home Exhibition from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The Daily Herald and rent strikes in Britain

The rent strikes of the late 1930s were a landmark in the history of working-class Britain. This selection of photographs from the Daily Herald Archive exemplify how the left-leaning newspaper reported political protest.

Making glass eyes

Our collection includes many examples of artificial eyes. They are fascinating objects—but have you ever thought about the many stages and processes needed to make a realistic and comfortable glass eye?

Lost trades: The industrial origins of crafts and hobbies

Many activities regarded as hobbies today were once thriving industries. This selection of photographs from the Daily Herald Archive captures the origins of these trades, many now rare or lost.

Making gramophone records

With the help of images from the Daily Herald Archive, this story explores the process of making gramophone records—one of the earliest platforms for distributing recordings, and the medium that launched a multinational industry.

Working high overhead: Steeplejacks

Photographs in the Daily Herald Archive help us understand how tradespeople shaped 20th-century Britain. In this story, we explore images of steeplejacks—workers with specialised knowledge of how to work high overhead.

Steel, strikes and spider-men: Steel erectors and the Daily Herald

Throughout the 20th century, cities grew, and steel erectors—also known as ‘spider-men’—were among the workers who built our new urban landscapes. Reports and photographs from the Daily Herald provided a unique perspective on their work.

Behind the scenes at Kodak and Ilford camera factories in the 1930s

These photographs from the Daily Herald Archive give a peek behind the scenes of photography manufacturing by two companies—Kodak and Ilford—in the 1930s.

A history of whaling

Using photographs from the Daily Herald Archive, this story looks at the history of whaling, how the industry developed, and the reasons it is still practised today.

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