You can get access to a wide range of rare and unusual printed documents from the 18th to 20th centuries on our library computers.
What is the 'John Johnson Collection'?
John de Monins Johnson (1882–1956) was the Printer to Oxford University, and he wanted to preserve Britain's vulnerable paper heritage.
His collection contains full-colour images of more than 65,000 items from everyday life in Britain, including:
- theatrical and non-theatrical ephemera from 19th-century entertainment, including posters, playbills, tickets and programmes
- popular prints, including locations, landscapes and architecture
- advertising posters – known as broadsides – and pamphlets relating to crime, murders, executions and transportation
- book and journal prospectuses, and a wealth of different kinds of advertising material.
This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of leisure, gender, popular culture, commerce, technology, crime and more.
Use the 'John Johnson Collection' in your library
To use our computers just bring along some identification or your library card if you are a member. You don't need to book but we recommend it to make sure you get a place.
Find out about using computers and the Internet in libraries.
East Sussex County Council