Edith Barlow Slide Collection

The collection includes two boxes of magic lantern slides featuring images taken by Barlow whilst travelling across Australasia, Africa, Europe and the Far East. There is also a photocopy of the letter sent to her from the Royal Geographic Society informing her of her Fellowship award.

Edith Barlow was an extensive traveller, diarist, speaker, and photographer. Following the death of her husband in 1917 and acting on the advice given by her doctor that she seek a warmer climate for its health benefits, Barlow set off on her first voyage to Genoa, Italy in 1923. Throughout her lifetime Barlow undertook 30 trips that saw her cover much of the globe. Destinations included, Australia and New Zealand, the South Seas, Japan, the Arctic Circle, both North and South America, North Africa and much of Europe. Initially she travelled alone but then later became a companion/assistant to rich elderly gentleman, W. Mallinson Esq. She kept detailed diaries of her journeys and delivered lectures recounting her experiences and tours of various regions. In recognition of her travels and public speaking she was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society in 1933. Edith died in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire in 1978.

The slides have been listed to reflect the system of arrangement in which they were received with the Rome slides forming one set and the others marked Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon and Egypt forming another. Some of the former set include original numbering although there is not a complete run and some numbers are duplicated. For this reason images in the first box have been grouped by area while the latter is grouped by country.

Available to researchers. Please contact the archivist to arrange an appointment.

Donated by William Muse, Masters Student,on the Photographic History course at De Montfort University, 2017.

An item list of the slides is available. Please contact the archivist for further information.

Listed by Dr Natalie Hayton, Assistant Archivist, and itemised by William Muse (donor).

Copying may be undertaken for private research purposes only, within copyright regulations and dependent on the condition of the material.

Donated to William Muse by the great-niece of Edith Barlow.