Arms & Armour:
Bridgeman now represents The Royal Armouries image archive
Jenny Page celebrates 20 years at Bridgeman
Picture Research Manager Jenny Page knows the archive better than anyone. We get her to reveal her favourite images.
Read moreSimon Marsden (1948 - 2012)
It is with great sadness that Bridgeman announces the passing of Simon Marsden, an artist with whom we have worked for many years, specialising in black and white spooky photography.
Read more
Digital images of the Royal Armouries collection now available for licensing
The Bridgeman Art Library is bringing out the big guns, with access for the first time to the archives of one of Britain’s oldest museum, the Royal Armouries. The latest addition to Bridgeman's Royal collections, the Royal Armouries' comprises the national repository of artillery, firearms, arms and armour, one of the most extensive in the world.
An ancient institution of the Tower of London, the collection of the Royal Arsenal was on display to impress visiting foreign dignitaries by 1545, later expanding to sites at Fort Nelson, Hampshire, and the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.
View images from the Royal Armouries collection currently online
Detail of Do-maru armour presented to King James I by Tokugawa Hidetada, via Captain Saris of the East India Company, in 1613, c.1610 Highlights from the archive:
Armour of Kings
- Armours of Tudor & Stuart kings
- Henry VIII’s famous horned helmet
- ‘Lion Armour’ of Henri II of France
- Samurai suit belonging to James I
- Mughal elephant armour
Weapons
Ranging from the medieval joust to 'down-and-dirty' street weapons like the notorious Apache pistol, and milestones of design from the Renaissance ‘gonne’ to the AK-47.
Tower of London
A wealth of material relating to the Tower of London and the royal menagerie, including a rare Victorian April Fool’s prank ticket to the ceremonial Washing of the Lions.
Philip Abbott, Head of Library, Archives and Records Management said:
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Bridgeman Art Library, and to have this opportunity to showcase images of some of the most fascinating objects in the Royal Armouries' collection. We look forward to a long and successful collaboration."