Photo Microscopy

These images from the Wellcome Research Laboratories, were taken under microscopic lenses and cover a range of subjects. Many are of blood cells affected by disease or the effects of medicines.

The negatives include glass negatives and transparancies, in colour and black and white, of various sizes up to 5x4 inches. All were numbered sequentially on the sleeve and were retained in reasonable order in card boxes. Therefore the negatives are ordered chronologically. Each image was given a sequential number preceded by 'PM', the sequence being chronological. The negatives are contained in 20 boxes and have been catalogued as WF/M/I/PM/02/01-WF/M/I/PM/02/20.

Like the main series of Beckenham negatives (WF/M/I/BP) there are a series of 'registers'. However, these take the form of notebooks, with each entry showing the person who commissioned the image, and the lenses / technical conditions under which the image was made. Sometimes a heading of the subject matter is given. The handwriting is not always very clear. There are 39 of these small notebooks, which have been catalogued as WF/M/I/PM/01/01-39, and one grouping of index cards WF/M/I/PM/01/40.

By cross-checking notebooks with negatives, material can be found.

c1945-c1996

approx. 2,000 items

Copyright assigned to the Wellcome Trust

Generally good. Fragile glass items (slides and negatives) are indicated within this list. There are warning notices on their boxes.

The Beckenham Photograph Studio and Library was established c1945 and was headed by Alan Jones (1945-1983. From 1983-1993 it was headed by Ed Kentish at [Meppin.?]. The Series runs until 1996, at which point the Glaxo and Wellcome Photograph Departments merged - 6 months or so after the actual merger.

The records were moved to Greenford c.1996 where they were stored in the Records Centre there. They were managed by the Image Library based at Greenford - Denis Blandford and Rob Brooks who maintained the system once the series was closed. By 2002 the series was no longer being used and the Wellcome Trust was approached for its transfer that took place in December 2003.

Rob had been a WF employee and provided useful information about the history of the series and the finding aids which is described below.