The British Museum Images

The British Museum is one of the oldest, largest and most famous museums in the world. Founded in 1753 to promote universal understanding through arts, natural history and science, the Museum holds objects and artworks dating from the 7th millennium BC to the present day, and covers all major world cultures.

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British Museum Images

British Museum Images is the on-line digital image website of the British Museum catering primarily for the image-buying professional. It offers access to rights-managed images of objects held in the British Museum's collection. One can search, buy, license and download hi-resolution (300dpi, JPG) digital images for use in publishing, TV, merchandising and advertising on-line. Access to download low-resolution (72dpi, JPG) un-watermarked images for layout purposes at no extra cost. The British Museum do not supply images on transparency or print format for commercial use, only digital files.

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Images On-line

The current on-line selection, six thousand images, represents only a small fraction of images held by the British Museum of its collection, over eight million objects. New images are being up-loaded every week, if you can not find the image you require please contact us to establish if a hi-resolution digital file of the object exists. If a commercial quality digital file is not available then you will be referred to the relevant British Museum curatorial department to arrange new photography (see Contact Us page).

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Image Delivery

Although we recommend searching, buying, licensing and downloading images on-line we can also supply images via a secure ftp site and invoice off-line for reproduction rights. In addition we can also supply digital image files on CD. We charge a fee of Ł25.00 + VAT for the UK and Ł30.00 (+ VAT where applicable) outside the UK for this service.

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Additional Search

Please note that British Museum Images does not offer an in-house search facility. If you can not find the image you require it may mean that it has not been photographed or is held only on transparency. If this is the case please contact the relevant curatorial department for assistance (see Contact Us page).

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Company History

British Museum Images is a trading division of, and operated, by the British Museum Company Limited which is owned by the Trustees of the British Museum and is an exempt charity. The British Museum Company Limited was founded in 1973 by the Trustees of The British Museum to advance the educational aims of the Museum. The Company currently engages in a number of activities, including wholesale and retail, publishing, the production of replicas and other merchandise, and licensing. All profits go to support the work of the British Museum Company Limited and the British Museum.

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British Museum Images is a member of BAPLA (the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies) and abides by the BAPLA Code of Professional Ethics http://www.bapla.org.uk/static/bapla/CodeConduct.php

British Museum Images

38 Russell Square

London WC1B 3QQ

Telephone +44 (0)20 7079 0944

Facsimile +44 (0)20 7637 8467

Website www.bmimages.com

Email sales@bmimages.com

VAT No. GB 710 521 585

Registered in England No. 1079888

Registered at the above address