The Courtauld Institute of Art has opened for free to the public its famous collection of photographs, thanks to the work of 14 thousand volunteers, who for five years have digitized over a million images collected in the Conway Library of Somerset House in London, most of which never shown before.

The images range from the beginning of photography to the present day: photographs of architecture from various parts of the world, sculptures, paintings and decorative objects, including images of bombing damage throughout Europe during World War II and photographs by T.E. Lawrence of Saudi Arabia. The collection also includes 160,000 prints by the most important British architectural photographer of the 20th century, Anthony Kersting, documenting his numerous expeditions to the Middle East.

The high-resolution images are now available online, making it easier to use the archive as a tool for research and education, as well as giving access to a much wider audience.