Photography collection

Frank Sharp, Gold Medallist 1900-1901. Cabinet print by Latchmore

North Hertfordshire Museum holds hundreds of thousands of photographs. They are a fantastic source for showing how life has changed around our district since the 1850s. The Latchmore collection includes over two thousand early images, mostly of Hitchin and mostly dated before 1920. These were taken by Thomas Benwell Latchmore (1832-1908) and his son Thomas William Latchmore (1882-1946). T B Latchmore set up his first photography studio on Bancroft during the 1860s and later moved to Old Town Hall Yard on Brand Street in Hitchin in 1870; this was directly opposite the entrance to the museum.

The ‘Roman camp‘ (actually a Victorian gravel pit) on the edge of Letchworth Garden City, photographed about 1907

The museum now aims to build up the photography collection by collecting images of North Hertfordshire villages. Have you got any interesting pictures that are of historical interest, of a significant local event, or modern ones that show off the beauty of North Herts? Send them to us, email us and we will post selections on our social media platforms. We are also keen to bring our collection of printed photographs up to date.