Archives put researchers directly in touch with their subject in a way that doesn’t happen with secondary sources, but getting started can sometimes be a little daunting. Building a narrative around a single item from an archival collection, interpreting it as the product of a particular set of historical circumstances, assessing its evidential value and exploring its potential for further study can be a good place to begin.

The Cabinet of Curiosities site is currently offline for maintenance - July 2026

Information and advice about our archival collections is available via the links shown on this page.