It is no surprise therefore, that the collecting bug within Mary extended to amassing a wealth of material on dogs, from books and scraps to photographs and postcards. Dogs, after all, are part of history too. Among the treasures filling what became known as, 'Mary's dog room' in her Blackheath home, were numerous albums of dog photographs, nursery titles about pesky pups, learned Victorian tomes on breeding and fascinating ephemera such as dog food advertisements or show certificates. In addition to an already sizeable archive on the history of dogs, in 2001, Mary acquired the prestigious Thomas Fall Collection. The Fall name is synonymous with the very highest quality photographs of pedigree dogs and the lineage of various breed champions can be traced through our Fall Collection filing cabinets. This autumn, Thomas Fall will take his rightful place in the spotlight when the archive becomes the subject of a Kennel Club exhibition celebrating his life, work and of course, the dogs he photographed. We'll keep you posted on this but in the meantime, click here to see a selection of greatest hits from the Fall Collection.

Other significant doggy themes include:

People and Dogs - from informal snapshots to exquisite 19th century cabinet photographs, Mary's albums form a moving record of how dogs have become not only beloved pets, but honorary family members through each generation.

Cecil Aldin - the artist Cecil Aldin (1870-1935), is best-known for his delightfully observant drawings of dogs, the subjects forming part of his own canine menagerie at home. Mary's immense collection of Aldin-illustrated books includes some rarities and features characters such as Mickey the Irish Wolfhound, Cracker the English bull terrier and Woggles the Sealyham Terrier.

Shirley Baker - Our representation of photographer Shirley Baker includes a wry and witty camera portrait of dogs and their owners, with a selection taken in the fiercely competitive setting of sixties-era dog shows.

Paul Kaye - They say never work with children or animals. But Paul Kaye photographed both, and was an expert in capturing dogs in humorous and sweet situations, a rare feat in the days before Photoshop.

Heinz 57 - Brave dogs, patriotic dogs, royal dogs, rescue dogs, guide dogs, sniffer dogs, performing dogs, speaking dogs, hungry dogs, war dogs, naughty dogs and puppy dogs - click here to see a cross-section taken from our wealth of postcards, scraps and ephemera on pooches from the past.

If this email has set your tail wagging and you'd like to sniff out more, email us at pictures@maryevans.com or pick up the dog & bone and speak to us on 020 8318 0034.