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    We trawled the British Library archives, and found these incredible musical pictures

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    More than a million images have been digitised from the pages of 15th to 19th century books in the British Library. Here are extraordinary, beautiful, musical pictures we found. So much lovely.

    1. British Library mosaic

      1. We love the hunt for a good musical image

      The good people released over a million images from their archives onto Flickr Commons for anyone to use, remix and repurpose. Here are some of our favourites.

    2. British Library archive Henry VIII harp William Sommers

      2. Psalter of Henry VIII

      Published 1530-1547. In an illustration of Psalm 52, the King is depicted as the harpist David, with his jester William Sommers.

    3. British Library archive John Keats Lamia Will Low

      3. John Keats: Lamia

      Taken from page 80 of an edition of John Keats's poetry - 'Lamia' - with illustrations by Will H. Low. Published 1888.

    4. British Library archive Mozart child

      4. Mozart as a child

      Taken from page 6 of 'Miscellanies' by Daines Barrington. Published in 1781.

    5. British Library archive

      5. Mozart - with his folks

      Taken from page 120 of 'Hollande et Hollandais d'après nature' by Hippolyte Durand. Published in 1893.

    6. British Library archive pigs wind instruments

      6. Piggies partying

      Taken from page 44 of 'The Tourist's Companion'. Published in 1822.

    7. British Library archive harpist Victorian maiden

      7. Piety with harp

      Taken from 'The Home Beyond', a devotional text-book by C. Murray and others. Published in 1894.

    8. British Library archive sailor fiddler

      8. 'The fun got fast and furious'

      Taken from page 157 of 'Exiles of Fortune. A tale of a far north land' by Gordon Stables. Published in 1890.

    9. British Library images piper sheep

      9. Piper and sheep

      Taken from ‘The Bab Ballads’ by W.S. Gilbert, published in 1898.

    10. British Library archive Charles Snyder court poet twanged

      10. 'The court poet twanged his lyre'

      Taken from page 309 of 'Comic History of Greece from the earliest times to the death of Alexander the Great’ by Charles M.Snyder, published in 1898.

    11. British Library images gipsy musicians

      11. To Gipsyland

      Taken from page 31 of 'To Gipsyland', illustrated by Elizabeth Robins Pennell. Published in 1893.

    12. British Library images Peter fiddling

      12. Peter admiring himself while playing on the fiddle

      Taken from page 29 of 'An Epistle [in verse] from Pindar to his pretended cousin Peter...With an appendix, containing Peter's celebrated song “O the roast pork of Old Truro”, published in 1788.

    13. British Library images

      13. Lutenists and singers in a walled garden

      Taken from 'Roman de la Rose' by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung. Published in Bruges, circa 1490-1500.

    14. British Library images music Ole Bull violinist

      14. Ole Bull

      Taken from page 97 of 'The Viking Bodleys; an excursion into Norway and Denmark' by Horace Elisha Scudder. Published in 1885.

    15. British Library images

      15. Hengler's Promenade Concerts

      A poster for Hengler's promenade concerts at Hengler's Grand Cirque, Argyle Street, London- now known as the London Palladium. Published in 1890.

    16. British Library archive jolly fiddlers

      16. Jolly fiddlers

      Taken from page 363 of 'A collection of ballads printed in London’ by Thomas Crampton. Published in 1860.

    17. British Library images music

      17. Handel...and Hogarth

      Taken from page 6 of 'The history of England from the Revolution to the death of George the Second' by Tobias George Smollett. Published in 1810.

    18. British Library archive Gipsyland gipsy band

      18. L'Espagne

      Image taken from page 377 of 'L'Espagne’ by Gustave Doré. Published in 1874.

    19. British Library archive Passover Haggadah King David Moses Aaron

      19. King David harping

      Moses, Aaron the High Priest and King David harping. Taken from Passover Haggadah. Originally published in Hamburg and Altona, 1740.

    20. British Library images music Metropolitan Opera House New York

      20. Metropolitan Opera House

      Taken from page 595 of 'King's Handbook of New York City. An outline history and description of the American metropolis.' Published in 1893.

    21. Bab Ballads W.S. Gilbert

      21. The Bab Ballads

      Taken from page 9 of 'The Bab Ballads by W.S. Gilbert. Published in 1898.

    22. British Library images

      22. Belles of the Ballet

      Taken from page 15 of ''Belles of the Ballet' by the author of 'Worthy a Crown'. Published in 1895.

    23. British Library archive lutenist violinist

      23. Lutenist and violin player

      Taken from page 640 of 'Kulturgeschichte’ by Baron Friedrich Anton Heller von Hellwald. Published in 1896.

    24. British Library images Paris Opera

      24. The Paris Opera

      Taken from page 102 of 'A Ramble round France' by J.Chesney. Published in 1895.

    25. British Library images music woman harp Victorian

      25. A Simple Story

      Taken from page 159 of 'A Simple Story' by Mrs. Inchbald. Published in 1895.

    26. British Library images violin illustration

      26. Austro-Hungarian violin

      Image taken from page 408 of 'The Austro-Hungarian Empire - words and pictures', published in Budapest in 1885.

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