Discover the history and heritage of the Wallace Collection through our library and archives.
About our Library
Our Library holdings reflect the richness of our art collections, including monographs featuring the artists present in our galleries, catalogues of our exhibitions, and specialist periodicals.
The Library reading room is open on Tuesdays, from 10.00-13.00 and from 14.00-17.00, by appointment only. Please submit your requests at least one week prior to your visit (10 items max).
The Library will be closed on Tuesday July 15 2025 and it will be open on Friday 18 July 2025 instead. Apologies for any inconvenience.
For bookings and general enquiries, please email library@wallacecollection.org.
Explore our online catalog by clicking the 'Catalogue Search' button below. To ensure we can accommodate your needs, please submit your requests at least one week prior to your visit.
About our Archives
Our archives hold records relating to the founders of the collection and the history of the museum from its foundation in 1897. Records in the archive include:
- Reports on the housing of the collection following Lady Wallace’s bequest
- Trustee minute books and correspondence
- Records relating to the evacuation and storage of the collection during the First and Second World Wars
- Details of exhibitions held at the Wallace Collection
- Establishment records giving information on members of staff from the opening of the museum
- Records of refurbishment projects including the Centenary Project of 1997-2000
A full list of records can be found on the Archives Hub database. You can also explore Wallace Collection institutional records at the National Archives.
Our archives also contain important collections of papers relating to dealers, collectors and scholars. These collections are in the process of being catalogued.
Full list of Wallace Collection archives
The following archives are held at the Wallace Collection. Click on each item to read the full entry on Archives Hub.
Anatole Demidoff related research papers (uncatalogued, three boxes)
Anthony North, arms and armour scholar: papers (uncatalogued, five boxes)
Christian Cederberg, spur scholar: papers (uncatalogued, one box)
Claude Blair, arms and armour scholar and curator: papers (part catalogued, 150 boxes)
Clive Wainwright, scholar, antiquary and museum curator: papers (uncatalogued, 1 box)
Comte de Nieuwerkerke, collector: papers (uncatalogued, seven boxes)
Frank Herrmann, publisher, author and history of collecting scholar: papers (uncatalogued, 21 boxes)
Gaugain family, painters and engravers: correspondence (uncatalogued, 14 pieces)
Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Sèvres porcelain researcher and former director of the Royal Collection: papers (uncatalogued, 50 boxes)
Hans Ottomeyer, French gilt bronze scholar: papers (uncatalogued, 75 boxes)
Henry Fawcett, print dealer: letters (uncatalogued, 24 items)
Herbert Bier, art dealer: papers (catalogued, 289 files)
The Hertford Wallace Family papers (catalogued, 22 boxes)
Lady Emilia Dilke's Photographs (catalogued, 4 boxes)
Meyrick Society Archives (on deposit)
Rosalind Lowe, biographer of Samuel Rush Meyrick: papers (uncatalogued, two boxes)
Samuel Rush Meyrick, arms and armour collector and scholar: papers (catalogued, three boxes)
Sir Francis Watson, former director of The Wallace Collection: papers (uncatalogued, 188 files)
Sir John Murray Scott, adviser and secretary to Lady Wallace: papers (uncatalogued, two boxes)
The Wallace Collection: records (uncatalogued, 35 linear metres)
The Wallace Collection’s Library also holds annotated auctioneers’ copies of Phillips sale catalogues dating from 1796 to 1849.
