1. Home
  2. Libraries, local history and archives
  3. Libraries
  4. Local history
  5. Norfolk Heritage Centre
  6. Picture Norfolk

Picture Norfolk

Picture Norfolk is an online collection of over 26,000 local, historical images showing thousands of aspects of Norfolk life from the past 200 years.

www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk, created and run by Norfolk Library and Information Service, shares images from:

  • Local Studies Libraries
  • Norfolk Museums Service
  • Norfolk Record Office
  • Private collections

Visit Picture Norfolk

Contact us

Types of images on Picture Norfolk

Picture Norfolk holds photographs, dating from the early days of photography during the 1840s, through to the present day.  They range from amateur and informal family photographs to many types of commercial images, including:

  • Studio portraits
  • Building surveys
  • Tourism
  • Industrial work
  • Advertising
  • Art photography

Picture Norfolk also holds other images of Norfolk subjects from the 18th-20th centuries, such as:

  • Prints
  • Maps
  • Ephemera
  • Paintings
  • Drawings

Download the Norfolk through a lens (PDF) to find out more about Picture Norfolk. This is a guide to the photographic collections held by Norfolk Library and Information Service.

How to search on Picture Norfolk

Type a keyword or phrase into the 'Any Words' search box on the Picture Norfolk homepage, such as the name of a:

  • Person
  • Place
  • Street
  • Building
  • Event
  • Date
  • Subject

Plurals such as ‘soldiers’ rather than ‘soldier’ will often return more results.

Search term examples

Explore Picture Norfolk using some of these search terms:

  • Skipper – For Tony Skipper’s images of Norwich life in the 1960s and 1970s
  • Harley – For 1980s images by Paul Harley of punks, alternative fairs and demonstrations
  • Swain –  For George Swain's 20th century images of Norwich life, including the bomb damage to Norwich during World War 2  
  • Trett – For Percy Trett’s collected images of Great Yarmouth life, including his own images from the 1960s and 1970s
  • Finch – For the remarkable survey of east Norfolk parishes and their people by Henry Finch (who was raised in the Norwich Yards) and his family from 1860s-1890s    
  • Tilbrook – For Richard Tilbrook's colour images of Norfolk and Suffolk churches  
  • Boardman – For Edwardian photographs of the privileged family life of Norfolk architect Edward Boardman and his How Hill holiday residence  
  • Emerson – For the internationally important art photography by PH Emerson, many relating to the Norfolk Broads  
  • Plunkett – For the unique record of the changing face of Norwich and Norfolk in the 20th century seen through the eyes of local photographer George Plunkett  
  • Artists – For Norfolk scenes through the eyes of local artists 
  • World War 1 – For soldier portraits, home front images and war notices and ephemera from the First World War 
  • Payne Jennings – For portraits of life on the Norfolk Broads from the late nineteenth century 
  • Lange – For community photos from the Harleston area from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s 
  • Flood – For images of the great floods around the county in 1912 
  • Market – For images of Norfolk marketplaces from the 1840s to the present day 
  • Yard – For images that tell stories of crowded home life in the Norwich Yards 
  • Museums – To explore historic photographs held by local museums 
  • Norfolk Record Office – To explore photographs from the archives  
  • Shops – For a record of enterprises, both small and large 
  • Entertainment – For Norfolk cinema, theatre, fairs and much more 

Using Picture Norfolk images

You may want to use Picture Norfolk images for:

  • Family and house history 
  • Reminiscence 
  • Local studies
  • Creative projects
  • Books, websites, talks and displays.
  • Learning resources
  • Media and advertising 
  • Enjoyment and curiosity

Ordering images for private use

We supply copies of images as:

  • Good quality, high resolution digital TIFF files (or as JPEGS on request). These get sent to you via web transfer.
  • Glossy prints

All images for private use cost £12.40 each.

Postage and packing costs for A4 glossy prints:

  • UK - £1.75 per image
  • Europe - £5 per image
  • Rest of World - £10 per image

We send out images within 14 days of sale. All prices include VAT.

To order copies of images for private use, email picture.norfolk@norfolk.gov.uk. 

Publication or commercial use of images

To use images from Picture Norfolk for reproduction or commercial use, email picture.norfolk@norfolk.gov.uk for fees and conditions.

This is if you wish to publish, reproduce, or display images in any form, such as for:

  • Exhibitions
  • Publications
  • Leaflets
  • Posters
  • Any other media

Publication is subject to the copyright holder granting permission.