History Day

Items

• 'Queering the narrative' in the archival records at Bethlem Museum of the Mind
  Looking at the possibilities and perils of investigating same-sex attraction in the historic records of psychiatry.
• 'That which never can be suppressed': LGBTQ+ history in the Royal College of Physicians collections
  In this lively virtual talk rare books librarian Katie Birkwood and assistant archivist Felix Lancashire explore some fascinating and potentially challenging collections at the Royal College of Physicians highlighting the long, rich and inspiring history of LGBTQ+ lives.
• "I am the farm worker going home at evening": gender fluidity, rural landscapes, and the Women's Land Army
  A common fictional narrative shows people with nonconforming identities finding self-acceptance in towns and cities. For LGBTQ+ History Month, library graduate trainee Lottie Wood explores how author E. M. Barraud found the opposite, through rural work and the Women’s Land Army.
• Absolute Units: 'Queer Rural Lives: Searching the Archives' with Tim Jerrome
  Queer histories of England have predominantly focused on the country's urban centres and cities - especially London. Yet queer and same-sex relationships have always existed throughout English life. Rural England is no exception. In the first of two podcasts, Joe and Ollie welcome onto Absolute Units former MERL colleague Tim Jerrome (University of Brighton), whose PhD explores the history of same-sex relationships in rural England. Learn about the challenges of finding queer histories in farm archives, the issues of archivist objectivity, and how museums can develop their practices to better surface and represent stories and relationships that were hidden in the past. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan
• AIDS Social History
  This research group documented the history of the disease as it happened and aimed to capture the response of policy makers and charity organisations to the virus. The papers consist of reports and analysis of strategies and policies covering actions of European countries as well as the UK
• Antinous in the collection of the Institute of Classical Studies Library
  The blog discusses the books that have been published on Antinous, the lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian
• Art, life, love : narratives from the Benedict Nicolson Archive
  Benedict Nicolson (1914-1978) was an art historian and editor of the Burlington Magazine for nearly forty years. Born into an aristocratic but also liberal and bohemian family, and coming of age in the tumultuous interwar period, he encountered unprecedented opportunities and experiences. This display explores Nicolson’s extraordinary life through his archive. Created almost exclusively in a personal capacity, and documenting Nicolson’s relationships with both men and women, the material presents an incredible resource for the study of art history, social history and the history of gender, sex and sexualities.
• Brian Sewell : an introduction to the archive
  Brian Sewell (1931-2015) was an art historian, art critic, author and media personality. He lead a remarkable life: born in 1931 to a single mother, he studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and found fame both as Anthony Blunt’s unofficial spokesman following Blunt’s exposure as a Soviet spy and later in his role as daily arts correspondent for the Evening Standard. All his life he felt like an ‘outsider’ – this becoming the title of his published autobiographies – a reference to various aspects of his character and also his sexuality (he described himself as gay). This Sewell Archive, documents almost every part of his life and this display provides an introduction to the collection.
• British LGBTQ+ History Podcast Series, 1800 - Present Day
  This podcast series, produced by the Historical Association, focuses on UK LGBTQ+ history from 1800 until the present day. Episodes feature Dr Matt Cook and Dr Sean Brady of Birkbeck, University of London, Professor Sally R Munt of the University of Sussex and Dr Emma Vickers of the University of Reading.
• Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health
  Mixed media archive collection relating to European Commission project, Concerted Action: Assessing AIDS Prevention Strategies (1988 -1991), and follow-up projects, the aim of which was to provide an overview of the different HIV/AIDS prevention activities. Collection includes 734 posters and 6 boxes of ephemera.
• Constance Maynard's Diaries and Unpublished Autobiography Online
  Constance Maynard, the first Principal of Westfield College, kept confessional and detailed diaries about her life 1866-1935 and these are now available online. She also reflected back on her life 1849-1927 in the 1930s in an unpublished autobiography made available for the first time online. Both are rich sources for the inner life of a queer woman from 1840s-1930s, history of women in higher education and the relationship with faith and sexuality.
• Diana Kimber and Louise Darche: leading lights in New York nursing
  A chance find in a newly catalogued book led to the story of two leading lights in nursing teaching in New York in the late 19th century: women who devoted their lives to their work and to each other.
• Discover the groundbreaking multi media exhibition: Our Legacy, Our Home: Club Kali at 30
  In this virtual exhibition we invite you to discover extracts from the materials collected as part of Club Kali’s ‘Where East Meets West’ heritage project: audio and video testimonials, photographic records, archival documents and ephemera, as well as community responses. These materials showcase personal journeys and historical milestones of Club Kali’s 30 years. The original materials are deposited at Bishopsgate Institute, London, and Islington Heritage as a historical and contemporary resource preserving this rich history for future generations. The physical Exhibition was launched in August 2025 at Islington Museum, London, UK.
• Fakoya collection
  This collection contains studies, reports and campaign material relating to the UK African diaspora and HIV awareness and prevention, sexual health issues and community awareness, c. 1996-2014. The material was collected by Ibidun Fakoya when she worked as part of MESH (Migration, Ethnicity & Sexual Health programme) at University College London. The collection is linked to SIGMA, as SIGMA continued to evaluate the programme after 2009.
• Fifty Years of Innocence
  In 2017, 55 years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality, we looked at the Post Office's records.
• For What Reasons the Murder Was Done: the Destruction of Constance Maynard's Diaries
  A detailed look at the deposit file of Constance Louisa Maynard papers, the first principal of Westfield College and a queer woman, and what it reveals about what is missing from the collection.
• HIVstory Project
  The NHST's HIVstory is an innovative three year outreach programme that travels around the UK informing a diverse selection of community groups about the history of the AIDS pandemic through an exciting programme of events, including: Exhibitions Presentations Heritage Training Opportunities Volunteering Film Screenings Inspiring Arts based projects
• HIVstory Project
  Introducing our new national outreach programme, 'HIVstory'. Discover the unique, personal stories of those impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 80s and 90s. Find out why it's vital that we preserve this crucial piece of UK heritage and educate future generations across the country.
• Isle of Wight LGBT+ Oral Histories
  Out On An Island: Pride In Self, Pride In Place Oral History recordings have been fully transcribed, digitised and deposited at Carisbrooke Castle Oral History Archival collection "Island Voices' & The Wessex Film and Sound Archives. The project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Isle of Wight Council
• Legal History Timeline
  A legal history timeline, highlighting important legal events in LGBT history including landmark legislation and precedent-setting case law.
• LGBT+ at the Linnean Society
  A number of Linnean Society staff, curators, and Fellows share their experiences of being LGBT+ in science
• LGBT+ collections
  This page highlights the LSE Library's LGBT+ collections
• LGBT+ History in the European archives
  A collection of documents on LGBT+ history in the archives of Archives Portal Europe
• Lord Ronald Gower: The Life of a Queer MP
  In this series of articles Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of Lord Ronald Charles Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (MP for Sutherland from 1867-1874), shedding light on the life of a young, aristocratic queer man as he navigated his way through the world of Westminster politics.
• Medicalisation as marginalisation: queer heritage and class oppression in the RCP collections
  On 22-23 October 2024, Katie Birkwood (Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian) and Felix Lancashire (Assistant Archivist) from the RCP Archives, Heritage Library and Museum Services team attended the Queer Heritage and Collections Network Symposium. We heard presentations from many organisations about the fantastic work being done around the country to better integrate queer (LGBTQ+) history into the wider work of the heritage sector. We will work to implement the lessons learned into how we collect, interpret, and present the RCP’s history.