About the Illustrated London News
The first issue of the Illustrated London News was published on Saturday, May 14, 1842. This weekly newspaper distinguished itself from its predecessors by offering readers a combination of news with images. Founded by Herbert Ingram, Ingram used his experience from his time as an apprentice, journeyman printer, and news vendor and printing office owner to create the popular newspaper. After Ingram and his eldest son died in a steamer accident on the way to America on September 8, 1860, Ingram's wife, Anne, assumed management of the newspaper until her sons, William and Charles, were old enough to take over. Although it was the addition of regular illustrations that made this newspaper unique, the writers and their news stories were significant. "Readers were treated to full write-ups of political news, as well as editorials ('leaders') on topics of the day, and detailed descriptions of pageants, battles, buildings, inventions, archaeological discoveries, disasters, elections, and much else (Leary)." In 1900, Ingram's grandson, Bruce Ingram, took over editorship of the newspaper. Under his editorship, the newspaper covered momentous events such as the two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, and the opening of King Tutankhamen's tomb. Publication of the Illustrated London News ceased in 2003.
About this collection
MU Libraries holds an extensive collection of bound copies of the Illustrated London News. Presently, only one bound volume has been digitized. Work on this project will continue as time permits. Additional volumes of the newspaper can be found in the HathiTrust Digital Library: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000520935
Leary, Patrick. "A brief history of the Illustrated London News." The Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003. Accessed June 10, 2016, http://gale.cengage.co.uk/images/PatrickLeary.pdf
