You Can Read 165 Years of the Royal Photographic Society’s Journal for Free

The Royal Photographic Society Journal is the oldest continually published photographic periodical in the world, and its entire archive of issues from 1853 to 2018 is available to read online… for free.

As described by the organization, the Royal Photographic Society Journal has covered artistic and technical developments within photography over the last century and a half. The Journal has recorded many of the key photographers, personalities, and events in that time. The archive was originally created to commemorate The Society’s 160th anniversary.

The digital archive, which only goes up until 2018 as the Journal is still in print, has more than 30,000 searchable pages, and future years will be added as they are completed.

As you might imagine, the topics on photography covered across the last century vary significantly depending on which issue you decide to pick up. Here is a brief sampling of some of what you might find:

It’s a trip down memory lane for the more recent history, with features on cameras like early Canon DSLRs and the Lytro Illum, and older issues are a wonderful look into photography’s past. If you’re stuck indoors due to isolation, you won’t soon run out of things to read if you want to peruse this gigantic archive.