About Us

SCOTLANDSIMAGES.COM is a picture library taken from Scotland's national collections. The National Archives of Scotland, in partnership with The National Library of Scotland, National Museums Scotland, The National Trust for Scotland and The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, have developed this image library to make available for licensed reuse selected images from the extensive, and often unique, holdings of Scotland's national collections.

The National Archives of Scotland

Based in Edinburgh, the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) exists to select, preserve, and make available the national archives of Scotland in whatever medium, to the highest standards; to promote the growth and maintenance of proper archive provision throughout the country; and to lead the development of archival practice in Scotland.

The NAS holds historical records created by government, businesses, landed estates, families, churches and other corporate bodies. Every year tens of thousands of people from all over the world use the NAS's services to carry out research, seek advice on record keeping, and enhance the learning and teaching of history.

As the national collecting archive for Scotland the NAS has extensive holdings, dating from the birth of photography to the present day, of graphical materials showing the people, places and objects which document Scottish life, history and culture. Complementing these materials the NAS also holds an unrivalled collection of iconic Scottish documents of great historical value and national significance.

More information about the NAS, its activities and services can be found on its website www.nas.gov.uk

The National Library of Scotland

The National Library of Scotland (NLS) is a major European research library. It is also the world's leading centre for the study of Scotland and all things Scottish.

NLS holds over 13 million items, ranging from a 9th-century manuscript to photographs, theatre posters and football match programmes. Among its collections are newspapers, manuscripts, maps, rare books, music, official publications, business resources, foreign publications and moving images.

NLS material takes in a wide range of interests, including Mary Queen of Scots, early photography, wartime propaganda, Scottish emigration and graphic novels. It has the books and personal papers of literary giants like Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Muriel Spark and modern award-winners such as Alasdair Gray and Ian Rankin.

The maps featured on this website come from the NLS Map Library, which houses one of the world's 10 largest collections of maps. On their website www.nls.uk/maps you can also explore in detail thousands of Scottish maps spanning nearly 400 years up to 1928.

To see the full range of digitised maps and images of other items in the NLS collections, visit www.nls.uk/digitallibrary

National Museums Scotland

National Museums Scotland - from archaeology to airships, gold to golfballs and daggers to dodos, our collections are as vast as they are diverse. We care for museum collections of national and international importance and our wealth of treasures represent more than two centuries of collecting. Our collections can be seen in five distinctive museums:-

The National Museum of Scotland - This landmark building in the country's capital city tells you the story of Scotland, its land, its people and culture, and houses international collections covering nature to art, culture to science. Part of the Museum is undergoing a major transformation project, reopening in 2011 with spectacular new galleries, learning zones and visitor facilities.

The National War Museum - War and military service have touched the lives of countless Scots, leaving their mark on Scotland's history, image and reputation abroad. In the magnificent setting of Edinburgh Castle, explore over 400 years of the Scottish military experience.

The National Museum of Rural Life - Escape to the country and take in the sights, smells and sounds of a 1950s working farm, complete with dairy cows and sheep. Explore the seasons from ploughing fields to sowing seeds, hay making to harvesting.

The National Museum of Flight - East Fortune once played an important role as an airfield during two World Wars. Now home to the National Museum of Flight, our hangars are packed with aircraft that reveal how civil and military flight developed, from the Wright Brothers to Concorde.

The National Museum of Costume - Open the door on fashion and society from Victorian times to the 1950s, at our country house museum set in beautiful wooded grounds.

To find out more about National Museums Scotland visit our website at www.nms.ac.uk

The National Trust for Scotland

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is Scotland's leading conservation charity, supported by its membership of over 300,000. It was founded in 1931 and is now an influential body which promotes the care and conservation of the Scottish landscape and historic buildings while providing access for the public to enjoy them. In addition to our inspiring collection of gardens, buildings and curios, we protect a huge variety of wildlife and wilderness habitats. One in six of Scotland's Munros are in its care, along with nearly 200,000 acres of countryside. The Trust also has a comprehensive educational programme to make its properties accessible to young and old alike. Despite a close working relationship, it is not part of the National Trust. The NTS is not a government body but a wholly independent charity.

The National Trust for Scotland Photo Library holds images of all NTS properties, both archival and contemporary. Subjects range from castles and great houses, gardens, countryside, mountains and coastline, islands, battlefields and historic sites, properties associated with famous Scots, sites of industrial and social heritage.

To find out more about the National Trust for Scotland visit its website at www.nts.org.uk

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has been surveying and recording the nation's built heritage for over a hundred years. During that time it has created a unique archive which is now one of the National Collections of Scotland. Its images paint a fascinating picture of the Scottish landscape and its people from prehistoric times right up to the present.

This ever-growing collection currently contains some 4.5 million items, including photographs, maps, drawings and other documents relating to buildings of all kinds as well as archaeological and industrial sites. Leading edge digital technology brings the archive to life and makes it available to personal and professional users alike, via a range of web services (including ScotlandsImages.com) or browsed in person at its premises in Edinburgh.

RCAHMS also looks after Scotland's largest collection of historical aerial photographs. Over 1.5 million strong, this covers wartime aerial photography of Scotland by the RAF and Luftwaffe, post-war aerial photography by the RAF (1945-89), the Ordnance Survey (1955-2001) and the All Scotland survey (1987-89) as well as photography taken in the course of RCAHMS own aerial survey programme.

www.rcahms.gov.uk