http://archivecatalogue.npg.org.uk/

“The National Portrait Gallery archive is the culmination of a two-year project to catalogue previously unseen material held at the gallery in Covent Garden. Including records on acquisitions as well as the protection and restoration of portraits, the archive also reveals insights into the day-to-day operation of the National Portrait Gallery. Among the papers in the National Portrait Gallery archive is a recommendation during the First World War that gallery staff should carry revolvers when guarding portraits stored in the King Edward Building Post Office Tube Station, near St Paul’s Cathedral.” [Source: Webuser, 05-02-10] Some documents are available online – if you search for the keyword rats, you’ll find the following record: NPG66/6/1/7 File of correspondence and papers relating to the Gallery’s war history 1940-1948. Link to the full record and you’ll find an online document detailing the rats dispatched and the methods used by Gallery employees – for example, “1 caught in 2nd class dressing room – killed by Rex with poker”.

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