A new online image library hosting a collection of past and present images of Oxford was launched last Thursday.
The database, called ‘Oxford University Images’ currently holds around 6,000 still images and pieces of video footage of Oxford. Amongst the older images in the collection are illustrations of the Bodelian Library and a photograph of students skating on the frozen Thames at Port Meadow. Some of the modern images show students protesting on Cornmarket street and walking around at the Fresher’s Fair.
The project was set up as a partnership between departments and colleges of the university, the Ashmolean Museum and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
The collection also contains a variety of images courtesy of the Oxford Historical Centre.
A spokesperson for the University of Oxford explained why the collection was created. He said, “There is huge demand for images of Oxford, with the city hosting around 10 million tourists each year and being the centre of numerous ï¬lms, TV programmes and books.
“We wanted to bring together our wonderful collections of rich and varied images from across the University into one easily searchable library.
He noted that, “This resource will be of beneï¬t both to members of the University and commercial organisations who want to have access to high-quality, correctly captioned material.”
First year Keble student, Alex Tsiotias, observed from the photos that the biggest difference between being an Oxford student now and 100 years ago is the clothing. He said, “The striking thing is the difference in appearance in terms of clothing between then and now. This is quite understandably due to normal changes and progression in fashion, but the juxtaposition between how people then and now look in everyday circumstances are nonetheless particularly notable.”
The images can be seen at www.oxforduniversityimages.com
