The Montagu collection comprises both topographical views and portraits from 17th-19th centuries. The portrait collection is organised alphabetically by sitter into 40 boxes arranged A-Z, with an additional box for miscellaneous, multiple, and unidentified sitters. The topographical collection is organised alphabetically by county into four boxes: 'England & Wales', 'Scotland & Ireland', 'France', and 'Foreign'.
The portraits form part of the Bodleian's autograph collection, as the autographs from the Montagu estate are accompanied mostly by headshots and portraits. The collection was cleaned, reboxed, and reorganised by the Conservation department volunteers in 2019/20. The original boxes have been retained; please enquire with the Rare Books department.
The electronic catalogue record for the Montagu collection, with an overview of contents and numerical scope, is available via SOLO here. A handlist to the collection is available from the Rare Books office.
Access to the Montagu collection is restricted and electronic orders for Montagu boxes via SOLO cannot be placed. Please contact Rare Books staff at rare.books@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you wish to consult the material.
