Family history data website TheGenealogist.co.uk has become the first family history website to launch a dedicated Image Archive that allows you to view historic images in both standard and ‘3D’ forms. These historical pictures allow you to relive the past through the eyes of your ancestors. The standard images are free for everyone to search and view and cover the period from 1850 to 1940. You can explore thousands of images there – with more being added regularly.

We all want to know more about the lives our ancestors led. Adding a picture to the family story is the perfect complement to any research. TheGenealogist’s new Image Archive allows anyone to search and view images of towns, landmarks, churches, resorts, occupations and military campaigns. They also include images of social interest showing how your ancestors could have led their lives. You may even be able to find the church where your ancestor was baptised or married.

The Image Archive is fully searchable and is divided up into sections to allow users to find relevant images of interest, quickly and easily. You can search by keyword or title. All the images are tagged and rated for quality to further assist the researcher.

Hundreds of the images are also available in stunning ‘3D’ to really bring the past to life. With scenes of the hustle and bustle of market day to the drama of war, there’s a selection to view as both 3D moving images and as 3D ‘red blue’ images (requiring tinted glasses).

Many other scenes are available in a standard format to view, with images not only from the British Isles but also internationally, with scenes ranging from Aldershot to Zanzibar. On these pages, we showcase a variety of the images available and how they can illuminate the past.