MORE than 250 images from the Royal Photographic Society Collection, including three of the world’s earliest photographic plates, have gone on display in Bradford.

The exhibition, called Drawn by Light: The Royal Photographic Collection, opens at the city’s National Media Museum today.

It includes hundreds of photographs representing the best of the collection, including contemporary images acquired this year and a striking Victorian-style “salon hang”, in which artworks are hung closely together from floor to ceiling, featuring 40 photographs.

From serene landscapes to haunting portraits, this exhibition brings together highlights from the collection of the world’s oldest surviving photographic society. They were taken by some of the greatest names in photography.

The Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853 and its collection is now held at the National Media Museum as part of the National Photography Collection.

Tomorrow the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Mike Gibbons will visit the exhibition for its official launch.

There will be a number of events taking place throughout the show, including a Photographers’ Question Time, with a panel including fashion and royal photographer John Swannell, Director General of the Royal Photographic Society, and a portrait sideshow, with free portrait-making inspired by Drawn by Light, and a guided tour of the exhibition.

Drawn by Light runs until June 21.