The Centre's archives mainly consist of the research papers of art historians, many of whom were pioneers in the formation of this discipline. The focus is the study of seventeenth and eighteenth-century British art, although the range extends from the sixteenth to nineteenth century and includes papers on foreign artists in England. 

As well as containing important original research and information on artists, the archives chart the historiography of British art history. They reveal the networks of scholars, curators, dealers, collectors, publishers, museums and societies that shaped discourses on artistic practice, often resulting in major publications and exhibitions.

Click here to view details of the collections.