Charles Thurston Thompson was the V&A's first Official Museum Photographer, in charge of the Museum's photographic operations from 1856 until his death in 1868. He photographed museum objects and objects on loan, and he also photographed great works of art and architecture on dedicated photographic campaigns abroad. These photographs are part of a large series of topographical views made by Thurston Thompson in 1867 on a photographic campaign to Spain and Portugal.

Photographs by Thurston Thompson and other photographers were originally collected by the National Art Library as reference tools for artists, scholars and designers. They were also circulated among the National Art Schools and were available for purchase from a dedicated sales stall on Museum premises.

The various stamps and presentation formats demonstrate the multiple ways photographs circulated not only throughout the museum, but to the larger community of scholars, artists and connoisseurs.