An incredible black and white photograph of the building of Tower Bridge has been released as part of a new online collection.
Published electronically for the first time, a collection of 250,000 images document pivotal moments in British history, giving further insight into key events
The historic photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries, which form part of the Francis Frith Collection, feature thousands of cities, towns and villages across the countries.
The collection of a quarter of a million photographs has today been made public by family history website Ancestry.
The photographs were all taken by Francis Frith, a British photographer who travelled around the country and the Middle East.
Frith, who was a Quaker, originally set up a cutlery business but after suffering a nervous breakdown sold his companies to dedicate his time solely to photography.
Among the images published online for the first time are an image of Tower Bridge being built in 1890 and Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897.
Photographs of an elephant and his keeper at Whipsnade Zoo and images of a family sitting in deckchairs on a beach in Suffolk are also featured.
Miriam Silverman, content manager at Ancestry, said: "From royal celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee, to the construction of the most iconic bridge in the UK and even a mummy, this collection provides photographic insight into 150 years' worth of history, bringing a bygone era back to life.”
To search for photographs in the collection, visit http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60587.
