The creative content agency was awarded £96,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in April 2014 to create a free-to-access website, which will host the digitised wartime magazine pages of one of the world’s most iconic magazine archives and rare pictorial material.

The project means that for the first time in 100 years, the public will be able to browse the war year pages of The Illustrated London News and its sister titles, and discover paintings, illustrations and sketches by war artists commissioned by the magazines and articles, many of which have not been seen since they were first published.

The first-phase website, launched today, includes the digitised pages from the Illustrated London News 1914-1918, a wealth of editorial features providing rich context for the source material, a timeline, a range of topical insights from 'Animals and War' and 'Trench Life' to 'Sport and the War' and a blog written by young historians appointed for the project. In the teaching resources section are samples of creative writing by primary school pupils, who have worked with the source material as part of the ILN digital project. Inspired by the original visuals, they have written their own moving interpretation seen from a child’s perspective today.

In coming months 70,000 digitised pages of ILN’s sister publications, including The Illustrated War News, The Sphere, The Sketch, The Tatler, The Bystander, The Graphic and The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News will be added to the website. New releases will see enhanced user experience functionality, including advanced search and improved user-generated content functions.

The Illustrated London News archive, bringing together 'The Great Eight' illustrated magazines, is an unrivalled chronicle of life and events, as they unfolded week by week, capturing the spirit of the time, the moments and the individuals that changed the world.

Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of ILN, commented: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund to make this material accessible by the public in a dynamic website that brings it to life. What sets the ILN collection apart from newspapers and other historical sources documenting the First World War is the rich pictorial content. The illustrations, paintings, sketches, cartoons and photographs were instrumental in capturing the news and events during the war. Collectively these titles informed and entertained millions of readers – in a pre-television, pre-internet era, this was the content manna of its day. It is the First World War as it happened and shows life as it was, without the benefit of hindsight.”

Almost overnight after war broke out, the ILN papers threw themselves into war mode, their journalists and special artists focused on telling the stories of the war as they unfolded week to week. Anticipating the interest, ILN launched a new paper, The Illustrated War News, devoted to the war, without knowing when it would end. It launched just one week after the outbreak of war and ran until paper shortages forced its closure in 1918. All of this material will be included in the digital archive.

As a result of the digital project, ILN has created two full-time jobs and two fixed-term contracts to deliver the website. “I believe we may be the only digital agency in the UK to employ historians as historians, thanks to the HLF funding. What a great opportunity for graduates who can combine research expertise and develop digital skills,” said Barnard.

To highlight the richness of the wartime material and to celebrate the launch of the website, ILN has published a one-off magazine or 'bookazine', The Illustrated First World War, in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Now on sale at WHSmith, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, newsagents nationwide and on The Illustrated First World War website, a donation from every copy sold is made to Royal British Legion.

Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond, and The ‘Great Eight’ collections offer a uniquely visual insight into events as they unfolded and help to tell the story of just what this impact was for those on both the Home and Western Fronts. As the Centenary anniversary approaches we’re delighted to support the ILN as they put their fascinating collection on a digital platform for the first time, enabling generations to come to see wartime life through the eyes of those who lived it.”

Notes to editors

About Illustrated London News
ILN is a creative content agency creating websites, digital marketing, magazines and books, for clients in premium, heritage and travel sectors. Clients including English Heritage, Aston Martin, Belmond (formerly Orient-Express Hotels), Unilever (Maille), Adriatic Luxury Hotels, Boodles, Maserati and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. They work multi-channel, and have a fully service digital team in house as well as editorial specialists. ILN owns the Illustrated London News archive. This consists of the 'Great Eight' of magazines, the Illustrated London News, the world’s first illustrated magazine, Tatler, The Sphere, Bystander, The Sketch, Illustrated War News, The Graphic, Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News and Britannia & Eve. We have digitised the entire run of ILN going back to 1842 and have recently embarked on a plan to digitise the other seven titles. Visit the Illustrated London News website for more information.

Further information

For more information, images and interviews, please contact Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive, email: Lisa.barnard@iln.co.uk or 07887 823 116 or Andrew Small, Archive Project Director, email: Andrew.small@iln.co.uk or 07426 443 880.

A selection of ILN First World War artist images is available on request.