The Daily Herald in 5 Headlines

The Daily Herald Archive is a rich photographic record which includes over three million images from the first half of the twentieth century.

A photographic print of Sports, Gymnastics, MenNational Science and Media Museum

What exactly was the Daily Herald?

One of the gems of the National Science and Media Museum’s collection is the Daily Herald Archive. It is a rich photographic record that provides a snapshot of British life from the early twentieth century.

Daily Herald Photograph: Trade Unionists March Daily Herald Photograph: Trade Unionists March (1963-03-26) by Barham, Chris and Burton, RonNational Science and Media Museum

1. A Voice for Socialist Causes

The Daily Herald launched in 1911 as a strike bulletin for London printing unions who at the time were involved in labour disputes to improve working conditions and pay. The bulletin was so successful in helping the trade unions that the paper became a daily newspaper.

A photographic print of Lions A photographic print of LionsNational Science and Media Museum

2. The World's Top Selling Daily Newspaper

The Daily Herald relaunched as a daily newspaper in 1912, but it continued to suffer financially until it received investment by Odhams Press in the 1930s. The new owners increased circulation and by 1933 the Daily Herald became the world’s top selling daily newspaper. 

A photographic print of Sports, Racing, Windsor, Ascot Only A photographic print of Sports, Racing, Windsor, Ascot OnlyNational Science and Media Museum

3. Millions of Social & Political Events in Photos

Throughout its 50 years of publication, the Daily Herald archived over three million photographs of significant social and political events providing a rich visual record of the first half of the twentieth century.

A photographic print of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, At Royal Variety Performance, November, 1965 A photographic print of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, At Royal Variety Performance, November, 1965 (1965-11-08)National Science and Media Museum

The photographs captured major events like the Spanish Civil War, the abdication of Edward VIII and the General Strike, as well as significant people like Alfred Hitchcock and Winston Churchill. 

Daily Herald Photograph: The Sun sign replaced the Daily Herald Daily Herald Photograph: The Sun sign replaced the Daily Herald (1964)National Science and Media Museum

4. The Daily Herald Relaunches as The Sun

In the mid 1960s, following increasingly declining sales, Mirror Group Newspapers assumed ownership of the Daily Herald. In 1964, the Daily Herald ceased publication and was relaunched as The Sun, with the slogan ‘A Paper Born of the Age We Live In.’ 

2009 -UNESCO-City-Film-Bradford_0National Science and Media Museum

5. The Daily Herald comes to Bradford

This rich photographic archive is held by the  National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. The archive provides a rich visual history comprising prints from press agencies and freelance photographers alongside works by Daily Herald photographers.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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