Reading Collection

A bedtime story. Cover illustration from Once Upon a Time no. 13

Children playing in front of a roaring fire. Source unknown

A Story at Bedtime

Library attendant

The Dancing Princesses. From Playhour no. 237 (25 April 1959)

Poster advertising British military uniform, WW1
Poster advertising British military uniform, The Studington Military Kit... obtainable only from Studd & Millington Ltd, Military Tailors. Chromolithograph poster, 1914 (c)

Rambles in South Devon - 1930s
Front cover of a guide to rambling in South Devon showing a couple enjoying a rest amid open skies and a patchwork quilt of fields, with the sea and coastline just visible beyond. Date: c.1935

Nude pin-up by David Wright
Pin-up by David Wright, almost entirely nude, save for a pair of high heeled shoes and a book she has been reading placed strategically in her lap. Date: c.1945

Chocolate box design, lady with book and dog
Chocolate box design, showing an early 19th century scene of a lady in a garden, reading a book, watched by her dog. 20th century

Good Things to Know - Woolworths booklet
A booklet produced by high street retailer Woolworths, entitled Good Things to Know and including numerous tips on how to clean your house, save money and of course

Business card design, woman reading
Business card design, made in France, depicting a woman sitting comfortably in an armchair under a standard lamp, reading a book. 20th century

Girl reading The Bystander magazine, WWI
Studio photographic portrait of a young girl dressed in a white dress holding a copy of The Bystander magazine

Pencil sketch of little girl lying down reading
Pencil sketch of a little girl in a sun bonnet, lying down reading with her feet up in the air. 1920s

Reading lesson for bears, a Teddly and Cuddly story in Playhour

Teddy Bear (with hidden objects)
Teddy Bear. From Teddy Bear (28 October 1967)

R is for Robin

Students reading in Balliol College JCR, Oxford
Students reading newspapers and magazines in the Junior Common Room of Balliol College, Oxford. Date: 1958

Child sitting by the fire by Muriel Dawson
A child sitting by the fire by Muriel Dawson. 1920s

The Picture Paper
Advertisement for magazine depicting and artistocrat and an impoverished girl reading the same news sheet - a paper for everyone Date: 1911

Students at work in Bodleian Library, Oxford
Students at work in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Date: 1958

Babas Ready for Filling with Whipping Cream
Danish Pastry Specialties, Babas Ready for Filling with Whipping Cream Date: 1936

Grandfather reads to grandchildren
Grandfather reads a Rupert the Bear picture book to his grandchildren, both of whom have fallen asleep. Date: circa 1980

White Star Line, SS Olympic window sketches
A White Star Line handwritten booklet entitled Particulars of Oceanic Steam Navigation Co, SS Olympic, May 1911. The vessel returned to the shipyard in Belfast in October 1911 for alterations

The First Lesson -- sisters with a book
The first lesson -- two little sisters study a book. 19th century

Client, shoeshine and pickpocket, Naples, Italy
A staged studio photo of a client with a shoeshine man and pocket picking boy, Naples, Italy. late 19th century

Geishas sewing, reading and writing, Japan
Three geishas sewing, reading and writing, Japan. circa 1890s

Geisha reading, Japan
Geisha reading, apparently while making tea, Japan. circa 1890s

Teddy Bear in bed

Pencil sketch of girl and boy reading
Pencil sketch of a girl and a boy reading. 1920s

Alluring letter reader by David Wright
An alluring looking woman with an exotic flower in her hair pictured reading a letter. Date: c.1944

Poster, Dutch mother on holiday with daughters
Poster depicting a Dutch mother on holiday with her two daughters (a public service advertisement). circa late 1930s

Book cover, Learning to Spell, by Irene Martyn. Showing a girl at a desk in front of a blackboard. circa 1940s

Out of Doors -- children at home with mother
Out of Doors -- two children at home with their mother. The boy seems to be getting into mischief -- a sure sign that he would be better out of doors. 19th century

British officers relaxing, Western Front, WW1
Four British army officers relaxing behind the lines on the Western Front during World War One. Their chairs are made from ration boxes. circa 1916

Elderly mans secret reading material
An elderly pipe smoking gent raises an eybrow as he reveals it is not the daily newspaper which is grasping his attention

Rococo lectern, Studienkirche, Dillingen, Bavaria, Germany
View of a rococo style lectern in the Studienkirche (Study Church or University Church), formerly the Jesuit Church of the Assumption, in Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria, Germany

Advertisement for Playmate Premium Beer, with the zing of malt liquor, showing an eye, eyebrow and red lips. No deposit, no return

The Book Shop
Two girls (one hardly older than a toddler!) look through a variety of volumes in a Bookshop Date: 1902

Titanic blueprint (part)
Part of the blueprint of the SS Titanic, showing first, second and third class passenger areas, crew rooms and boiler rooms. Date: circa 1912

Titanic Reading and Writing Room
The Reading and Writing Room on the ill-fated Titanic, which sank on 15 April 1912. Date: 1912

Sketch of a little girl reading a book
Sketch of a little girl sitting on the floor reading a book

Ordnance Survey map cover - Dorking and Leith Hill
Front cover of an Ordnance Survey map covering the Dorking and Leith Hill area of Surrey. The cover features a hiker or rambler leaning against a wall and smoking a pipe as he consults his map

Dunce, dunce, double D, he can t say his A B C. Children in a classroom, with a boy wearing a dunces hat, standing on a stool. 20th century

Back Number by David Wright
Pin up by David Wright featuring an elegant woman seated on the edge of a bed in a state of deshabilee, flicking idly through a magazine. 1941

American soldiers relaxing, Western Front, WW1

British soldier relaxing on a stretcher, Somme, WW1
A British soldier relaxing and reading the news on an abandoned German stretcher on the Somme, Western Front, during World War One. circa 1916

Inside Passengers by Louis Wain -- a group of humanised cats riding in a bus

Female model in red tartan outfit
female model in red tartan outfit consisting of three or four different patterns. 1980s

Lloyd George and Lord Reading, Western Front, WW1
Lloyd George and Lord Reading visiting soldiers graves on the Western Front in France during World War One. circa 1916

Flower-seller in silhouette
A Flower Girl, although she looks more like a lady of a certain age, seated next to the flowers she sells to Londoners each day. Date: 1926

Womens Royal Air Force -- The Orders for the Day
Illustration, Eight Months with the Womens Royal Air Force. Showing a group of women reading a notice on the wall to find out what are the Orders for the Day. 1919-1920

Womens Royal Air Force -- Rest Room
Illustration, Eight Months with the Womens Royal Air Force. Showing women relaxing in the Rest Room -- two are dancing, another is playing the piano. 1919-1920

Angel reading a book
An angel reading a book by lamplight, on a greetings card

Little girl reading newspaper by Muriel Dawson
A little girl reading a newspaper, by Muriel Dawson. circa 1930s

The Student by Muriel Dawson -- a little toddler sits looking at a picture book. 1933

Happy Hours by Muriel Dawson -- a little girl sits reading. 1943

The Annunciation by Zanobi Strozzi, on an altarpiece

Enchanted Hours by Muriel Dawson -- a little girl sits reading a book. 1940

Lord Reading jumps over trench, Western Front, WW1
Lord Reading, British Lord Chief Justice, jumping over a trench during a visit to the Western Front in France, World War One. circa 1916

Lloyd George on edge of mine crater, Western Front, WW1
Lloyd George and Lord Reading on the edge of a mine crater during a visit to the Western Front in France, World War One. circa 1916

Lloyd George discussing ammunition supply, WW1
Lloyd George discussing ammunition supply with Lord Reading and M. Albert Thomas (French Minister for Munitions) on the Western Front in France during World War One. circa 1916

Cobbetts Advice to Young Men
Front cover of Advice to Young Men by William Cobbett, an instruction booklet for the eighteenth century youth. Date: 1887

Tokyo subway
A mans face is obscured as he reads a newspaper while sitting on a subway train in Tokyo. Another man in a suit sits next to him. Date: 1986

Cover design, My Shopping Addresses
Cover design for an address book, My Shopping Addresses, depicting a young woman sitting on a low stool reading a letter

Page boy carrying books
Illustration on Library List booklet, depicting a little page boy in yellow, carrying a pile of books

Cover design, Library List

Holidaymakers on the beach at Hastings, Sussex
Three holidaymakers, two women and a man, sitting on the pebbly beach at Hastings, Sussex. He is reading the Daily Sketch newspaper. A terrace of hotels can be seen in the background. June 1927

Horse reading over boys shoulder
A boy stands reading his Boys Own magazine, while a white horse appears to be reading over his shoulder

Three men taking a break from their work in a back garden. They are sitting on planks of wood

Elderly man and little girl in a garden

Portrait of 1930s woman reading
Portrait of a young woman, 1930s, reading a newspaper. Date: c.1934

A Mother reads a story to her children

Boy sitting and reading
A young boy sits on a pouffe reading a book. Pastel sketch by Raymond Sheppard Date: circa late 1940s

Scene inside a cafe in Arachova, near Delphi, Greece
A solitary man sits at a table reading his newspaper in a cafe in Arachova, near Delphi, Greece. Date: 1965

Girl and boy lie on the floor surrounded by toys
Girl and boy lying on the floor surrounded by their toys, whilst reading a story book. Watercolour painting by Raymond Sheppard Date: circa late 1940s

Scene outside a cafe in Corfu Town, Corfu, Greece
A scene outside a cafe in Corfu Town on the Greek island of Corfu. Two men sit chatting at a table on the pavement, while a younger man leans against the wall, gazing towards the camera

Aldermaston Marchers at Reading
Aldermaston Marchers walking through Reading, Berkshire, carrying placards, on the second day of their march from Aldermaston to London. Date: 1959

Street market in Calangute, Goa, India
A busy street market in Calangute, Goa, India, with the Fatima Restaurant in the background. Date: 1992

Couple sunbathing, North Kensington
A couple sunbathing outside a scruffy basement flat off Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington, London

Scene in Princedale Road
A scene in Princedale Road, North Kensington, London. A little boy sits on a doorstep reading the latest comic, with his dog relaxing on the pavement next to him

Passengers on a Tokyo train
A group of passengers on a train in Tokyo, Japan -- some are straphanging, some are sitting. Date: 1986

Girl reading whilst sat on a cuskion on the floor
Young girl reading whilst sat on a cushion on the floor. Watercolour painting by Raymond Sheppard Date: circa late 1940s

Deaf Cyclist
This cyclist is wearing a sandwich board reading beware, I am deaf. Date: early 1930s

Dog and Cat Reading
A puppy and a kitten reading a story book together. Date: early 1930s

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