Visual and media records

The Post Office played a significant role in the modern art movement from the 1930s onwards. In 1933 Stephen Tallents was appointed Public Relations Officer of the General Post Office (GPO). Under his influence, the newly created Public Relations Department pioneered the use of art and media to advertise and celebrate the Post Office.

Leading documentary film-makers, composers and artists found contemporary and imaginative ways to inspire and inform the nation about the role of the Post Office. The Post Office pioneered new forms of communication and nurtured artistic endeavour and talent. As a result, a rich cultural heritage was created. The visual and media records in The Royal Mail Archive reflect this richness.

Most of our visual and media records date from the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries but we hold newspaper cuttings which go back as far as the seventeenth century.

Go to archive collection

In our collection...

Post Office Photograph Library
The majority of our photographs were created and collected for publicity purposes by the Post Office. The earliest of these photographs date from 1934.
See examples of our photographs...

Posters
Our collection of posters begins in the 1930s. Posters were key to Stephens Tallent's publicity campaign.
See examples of our posters...

Films
The GPO Film Unit was a prolific producer of informative films about the organisation.
See examples of our films...

Access

The best way to see most of our visual and media records is to visit The Royal Mail Archive in Freeling House (see Visiting for details). Certain GPO films are also held on video in Freeling House. Many photographs from the 1930s can now be viewed in our online catalogue and more are available in our Search Room. The remaining photograph collection is largely uncatalogued and, for the most part, unavailable to the public for the present.