Illuminating the work of African photographers in The National Archives' collections
Student placement project
- Project supervisors
- Department
Collections Expertise and Engagement
- Maximum number of student placements available on the project per academic year
One
- Level of study
Open to PhD and MA/MSc students
- Deadline for Expressions of Interest from students
24 November 2026 (17:00)
- Specific knowledge and/or skills required for the placement:
Experience of using archives or heritage collections
Interest in photography and African history/culture
Interest and/or experience in education and in working with young people
Interest and/or experience in public engagement work
Please highlight in your application any experience, knowledge or interests relating to African history, culture, photography, archives, or related fields that may be relevant to this project.
Project description
The National Archives holds vast collections of 19th and 20th-century photographs, most significantly the Colonial Office photographic collection (CO 1069) and the Copyright collection (COPY 1). While these collections are known to contain photographs by African photographers, these creators are rarely individually identified in the collections. Awareness of and public engagement with this material is currently extremely limited.
The placement is three months full-time, or part-time equivalent, ending in August 2027. A proportion of this will need to be done onsite at Kew, London.
Activities include
The placement has three main phases that offer the opportunity for mentoring in a range of skills relevant to careers in heritage:
- Identifying photographs in the collections that were produced by African photographers and researching their context and history
- Working with The National Archives’ Education team on a teaching resource for school students
- An opportunity to engage wider audiences with the work, e.g. through blogs, social media, talks and/or community engagement activities.