Mr Dixon's Business Collection

Almost 2,000 pictures compose the collection known as the Dixon Slides. The varied contents include photographs taken by Frederick Dixon in the 1960s and 1970s, book illustrations, postcards, advertisements and older photos of events around Dublin. The main focuses of the collection are Dublin city and its buildings. An important aspect covered is Dublin’s commercial life. He looked at not just contemporary stores but also earlier developments, going back to the second half of the nineteenth century. His primary sources for business in the 1800s were Industries of Dublin, The Dublin Pictorial Guide and Directory, Strattens’ Dublin, Cork and South of Ireland and advertisements from magazines and newspapers.

This gallery was compiled and researched by Sarah Hoskins, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. Sarah worked at Dublin City Public Libraries as a Spring 2011 Intern under the European Study Abroad (EUSA) programme.

Further Resources

Dublin City Libraries has a wide range of sources on the social, political, and cultural history of Dublin, some of which are available online and some through the Dublin City Libraries network.

The Reading Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street holds a wealth of material on the history of Dublin, including books, pamphlets, journals, street directories, and almanacs.

The following online resources can be accessed free of charge at your local library. Ask library staff for information and assistance.

• DRI - Digital Repository of Ireland is a national digital repository for Ireland’s humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage data. Here you will find select digital collections of Dublin City Library and Archive including the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection.
• Irish Times Digital Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Times from the mid-nineteenth century until the present.
• Irish Newspaper Archive: This online archive service gives access to contemporary editions of the Irish Independent and a range of other newspapers.
• The Ireland-JSTOR Collection: This online archive of academic articles can also be accessed free of charge at your local library.

For further reading, consult the Library Catalogue.