Swords — 18th century
About this product
About this collection
One of the largest single-period sword collections in the Royal Armouries digital catalogue, comprising 1,738 objects from the 18th century documented across 5,305 high-resolution images in 18 ZIP assets. The collection spans the full arc of 18th-century sword culture — from elegant small-swords of European court dress to heavy cavalry sabres, infantry hangers, and naval cutlasses. Each object carries a Class IX catalogue number and has been professionally photographed to museum archival standards.
Why it matters
The 18th century was the last era in which the sword remained a primary military sidearm before firearms made bladed weapons largely ceremonial. This collection offers unmatched coverage of that transition, with objects representing British, Continental European, and colonial manufacture. For scholars of decorative arts, military history, and metallurgy it is a primary visual resource of exceptional breadth and depth.
Use cases & time to value
- AI & machine learning: Train object-recognition and style-classification models on one of the largest labelled sword image sets available anywhere
- Game & film production design: Immediately usable period-accurate reference for 18th-century combat, court, and naval scenes
- Academic research: Comparative morphological study of blade forms, hilt styles, and decorative techniques across national traditions
- Publishing & editorial: Ready-to-license imagery for books, journals, and exhibitions on Enlightenment-era material culture
- Museum benchmarking: Use as a reference standard for photographic quality and metadata completeness in digitisation programmes
Data schema
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| object_number | string | Royal Armouries catalogue number (IX. prefix + sequence) |
| object_name | string | Standardised object type name as catalogued |
| class | string | IX (Swords) |
| period | string | 18th century (1700–1799) |
| image_filename | string | Original filename as catalogued by the museum |
| image_format | string | tif (archival high-res), jpg (catalogue), or bmp (legacy) |
| width_px | integer | Image width in pixels |
| height_px | integer | Image height in pixels |
| file_size_bytes | integer | Uncompressed file size in bytes |
Collection stats
18 assets · 1,738 objects · 5,305 images · 18th century
Assets (0)
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