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We trawled the British Library archives, and found these incredible musical pictures
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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4. Mozart as a child
Taken from page 6 of 'Miscellanies' by Daines Barrington. Published in 1781.
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5. Mozart - with his folks
Taken from page 120 of 'Hollande et Hollandais d'après nature' by Hippolyte Durand. Published in 1893.
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6. Piggies partying
Taken from page 44 of 'The Tourist's Companion'. Published in 1822.
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7. Piety with harp
Taken from 'The Home Beyond', a devotional text-book by C. Murray and others. Published in 1894.
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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.
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9. Piper and sheep
Taken from ‘The Bab Ballads’ by W.S. Gilbert, published in 1898.
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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.
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11. To Gipsyland
Taken from page 31 of 'To Gipsyland', illustrated by Elizabeth Robins Pennell. Published in 1893.
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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.
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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.
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14. Ole Bull
Taken from page 97 of 'The Viking Bodleys; an excursion into Norway and Denmark' by Horace Elisha Scudder. Published in 1885.
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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.
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16. Jolly fiddlers
Taken from page 363 of 'A collection of ballads printed in London’ by Thomas Crampton. Published in 1860.
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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.
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18. L'Espagne
Image taken from page 377 of 'L'Espagne’ by Gustave Doré. Published in 1874.
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19. King David harping
Moses, Aaron the High Priest and King David harping. Taken from Passover Haggadah. Originally published in Hamburg and Altona, 1740.
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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.
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21. The Bab Ballads
Taken from page 9 of 'The Bab Ballads by W.S. Gilbert. Published in 1898.
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22. Belles of the Ballet
Taken from page 15 of ''Belles of the Ballet' by the author of 'Worthy a Crown'. Published in 1895.
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23. Lutenist and violin player
Taken from page 640 of 'Kulturgeschichte’ by Baron Friedrich Anton Heller von Hellwald. Published in 1896.
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24. The Paris Opera
Taken from page 102 of 'A Ramble round France' by J.Chesney. Published in 1895.
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25. A Simple Story
Taken from page 159 of 'A Simple Story' by Mrs. Inchbald. Published in 1895.
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26. Austro-Hungarian violin
Image taken from page 408 of 'The Austro-Hungarian Empire - words and pictures', published in Budapest in 1885.
