We work with museums, archives and personal collections to research and share the history of illustration.
We show material from collections online and at venues across the UK. From spring 2026 we will show Quentin Blake’s collection and illustration from around the world at our centre in London.
What are collections?
Collections are groups of items that have something in common. They might have been created by the same person or at the same time, or be connected by a theme or a subject. Some collections contain expensive, old or rare items. But collections can be of anything, from everyday packaging to digital files.
Collections are held by institutions like museums and archives whose staff and volunteers catalogue and research them. People also create their own collections by gathering material they have a passion for, or keeping things they create themselves. Most of us collect things without realising it: our photos, clothes, notes and drawings are all types of collection.
Collections are important because they create a record of the past and the present from different perspectives. They can be sources of knowledge, pride, inspiration, debate and resistance.
Click for BSL video with subtitles(opens in new window)
Our work with collections
We use collections to create exhibitions about the history of illustration and its place in our world. We borrow material from museums and archives and we research, conserve, catalogue and display illustration from personal collections.
We collaborate with collections from across the UK and overseas. We have a small handling collection, but we don’t otherwise have a collection of our own. We work closely with illustrator Quentin Blake to share his collection, which is pledged to us.
You can visit our exhibitions on tour at venues across the UK. From spring 2026 we will show exhibitions at Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, London.
Click for BSL video with subtitles(opens in new window)
Explore Collections Online
Collections Online is a project we launched in December 2023 to make historic illustration available to people doing research and looking for inspiration. We have added added material from a range of sources to get started. We will add more material from our work on exhibitions at our new Centre in Clerkenwell. Our hope is that Collections Online will grow into a rich resource over time.
The material featured is from personal collections, archives and museums. We are so grateful to the owners of collections and copyright holders who have allowed us to share their material.
Collections Online has been made possible with generous support from the John Ellerman Foundation(opens in new window).
Click for BSL video with subtitles(opens in new window)
Credits
Photographs of works by Jacqueline Ayer and Jo Brocklehurst by Justin Piperger.
Jacqueline Ayer video by Shootlab(opens in new window).
You can view curated stories, or use your own terms to search a database of items.
A selection of material from a small number of UK-based collections. We have started with UK-based collections because we are based here. We have focused on material from the 1900s because illustration from this period can be harder to find and access online than more contemporary material.
Illustration is a huge subject and so collections online isn’t comprehensive. However, we are selecting material to represent as wide a range of perspectives and approaches to illustration as we can. We will add more material as we work on exhibitions at our new Centre in Clerkenwell. Our hope is that Collections Online grows into a rich resource over time.
Collections Online includes a range of types of illustration produced over time. Some items may include or imply nudity, strong language, violence, drug use or dangerous behaviour. Items may also represent discriminatory attitudes and practices that we do not endorse. We believe that these items provide evidence of our shared history that we can learn from.
Any explicit or discriminatory material in collections online is blurred and displayed with a content warning. You can choose to click to view the material if you would like to.
If you have any concerns, comments or questions about material featured in collections online or the way it is described, contact us collections@qbcentre.org.uk.
Illustration is a huge subject and so collections online isn’t comprehensive. However, we are selecting material to represent as wide a range of perspectives and approaches to illustration as we can. We will add more material as we work on exhibitions at our new Centre in Clerkenwell.
If you are looking for something in particular, contact us and we will see if we can help collections@qbcentre.org.uk. Please note that we have a small staff team and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to resolve your query.
Some of the material in Collections Online is owned by institutions that you can visit who have staff you can contact. Other material is owned privately and may not be open to visits or enquiries.
Each item in Collections Online is displayed with information that includes a ‘Research information’ section where you will find one of the following:
- a link to information on how to access the collection
- information on how to submit an enquiry to the collection
- a notification that we are unable to provide further information about the collection or submit enquiries to the owner
We are unable to send you the details of collection owners directly and we cannot guarantee that enquiries we submit to collection owners on your behalf will be responded to.
We do not own the rights to any of the material featured in Collections Online. Each item is displayed with information that includes a ‘Licensing information’ section which will say whether an item is:
- in the Public Domain(opens in new window)
- has a Creative Commons license(opens in new window) applied, or
- is in copyright (indicated by a © symbol)
If image(s) are in copyright, any form of reproduction, transmission, re-use or display of the image(s) (except for personal use and other uses permitted(opens in new window) under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988(opens in new window) (as amended and revised), including fair dealing exceptions(opens in new window)), without the consent of the copyright holder(s) is prohibited.
If you would like to use an in copyright image from Collections Online, we may be able to submit a request to the copyright holder on your behalf, contact collections@qbcentre.org.uk.
We do not own the rights to any of the material featured in Collections Online. We are not able to make and sell prints of featured works, or to supply images to people to make their own prints.
We have a small handling collection that can be viewed via Collections Online. We are not currently able to provide in-person access to our handling collection.
We work closely with illustrator Quentin Blake to share his archive, which is pledged to us.
We hope to develop a collection in the future, but we are not currently collecting.
In spring 2026 you will be able to visit our exhibitions at Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, London.
Quentin Blake’s archive is pledged to us. We work closely with Quentin to share works from his archive in our touring exhibitions. From spring 2026 you will be able to visit the Quentin Blake Gallery at Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, London.
Quentin’s is a working archive: he refers to the material in it for projects and new material is being added all the time as he creates more work. It is not generally open to researchers.
For more information about Quentin’s archive, working with Quentin and licensing his work, visit his website(opens in new window).
We have paused our work on Collections Online while we are working on opening the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, London. We are not currently adding new material.
However, we are always interested in hearing about illustration collections. You can send information about your collection to us via collections@qbcentre.org.uk.
We can’t help to identify artworks or give valuations. An auction house with expertise in the type of material you have may be able to help you.
We are not able to advise on or arrange conservation treatment for artworks. The Institute of Conservation has a searchable list(opens in new window) of accredited conservators.
Items featured in Collections Online are listed with information about the collection they came from. You can also find illustration in the collections of:
Arabic Design Archive(opens in new window)
British Museum(opens in new window)
Cartoon Museum(opens in new window)
Interference Archive(opens in new window)
Letterform Archive(opens in new window)
Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books(opens in new window)
The People’s Graphic Design Archive(opens in new window)
V&A(opens in new window)
Wellcome Collection(opens in new window)
Please tell us if you have collections to recommend to us, collections@qbcentre.org.uk.
Explore collections
