Collections from the UK’s National Railway Museum

Ed Bartholomew is Lead Curator at the National Railway Museum in York, England, where he has worked since 1995, having joined as Curator of the Photographic Collections. His role at the NRM includes the curation of the museum’s collections, ranging from archives to objects. He is particularly interested in the impact of railways on the landscape, their visual representation in photography, art and posters, and the promotion of railways through publicity and marketing. His publications include Railways in Focus (with Michael Blakemore) an account of the National Railway Museum photographic collections (Atlantic Transport, 1998).

Photography grew up alongside the mechanized railway, and Bartholomew’s talk showcases the NRM’s photographic collections from their origins to the present day, encompassing 170 years of photography. It illustrates the breadth of the collection, with examples of the official photographs that documented the work of railway companies and advertised their services, alongside images by many skilled enthusiasts, who spent hours at the lineside in search of the perfect shot.

Recorded live on April 25, 2023.