Süddeutsche Zeitung, which began publication in October 1945, was the first newspaper to receive a licence from the post-war US administration of Bavaria and is now the largest German national daily newspaper with a readership of over 1 million. The content of their remarkable archive, which is mainly photographic, includes images of two world wars, the Berlin Wall and life in East Germany not to mention fantastic portrait photography of stars such as Elvis, Gloria Swanson and Alfred Hitchcock.

The collection not only offers a detailed and at times unflinching record of twentieth century German history but it also casts its net much wider with subject matter that reflects the diversity of global events from royalty, politics and industry to transport and film. In addition to the 54,000 images available online, several million more are available to our researchers who can check the rest of the SZ collection on your behalf.

You can view an edited selection 200 images here. And do get in touch if you can't find what you're looking for online, either by email at pictures@maryevans.com or by telephone on 020 8318 0034.