Image: A view from the air of the settlement of Sawakin on the Red Sea coast of Sudan, photographed by Colonel H.E. Hebbert in August 1930. (RCMS 120/1/1/21)
The RCS collections contain some fine photographic panoramas, many of which have been digitised.
Search Cambridge Digital Library for panoramic views and aerial photography using the search terms: panorama, panoramic or aerial.
Nine spectacular panoramas were professionally conserved before being digitised.
Zoom in to see the extraordinary detail in these images.
- ‘Historic Hong Kong’ describes their conservation.
- Hong Kong, Canton, and Macau (Y30383A) catalogue
- Medicine Hat, Alberta (Y306863A) catalogue
The detail in these large panoramas is best viewed online; the Medicine Hat panorama is over two metres long! Researchers wishing to view the originals should contact the RCS librarian.
The RCS photographic collections also hold some fascinating aerial photographs, including
- Sir Frederick Tymms collection on civil aviation
- Sir Frederick Tymms: the flying civil servant - a blogpost focussing on the South Asian chapters of his career, with links to his cinefilms
Search ArchiveSearch for more aerial photography, and for panoramic photographs, using search terms: aerial, panorama or panoramic. You can filter your results by ARCHON code: Royal Commonwealth Soc. (GBR/0115)
There are also some fine painted panoramas and views in the Royal Commonwealth Society collections which may be discovered using ArchiveSearch and Cambridge Digital Library using the search term: art work, e.g.
- Panorama of Bombay (RCMS 85) by Thomas Wingate, a striking view from the top of Sir Jenisedjie Jeejeebhoy's house. Zoom in to explore the detail.