Introduction: Visual Collections as Historical Evidence

This special issue of Visual Resources is offered as a response to the changing status of visual collections as historical evidence and explores the potential challenges and opportunities facing those who use these often undervalued resources. The intention is to make a substantial contribution to emerging debates surrounding the potential uses and accessibility of visual collections for the purposes of historical research. It also aims to redress the current imbalance between visual sources and more traditional documentary, statistical and verbal evidence as employed by academic historians.