Roberson & Co. Archive Project: Preserving the Past Through Digital Innovation

This thesis proposes a study of the Roberson & Co. archive, an extensive collection of art materials which documents the practices and techniques of one of the most influential manufacturing and art houses of the 19th and 20th centuries. The project was originally developed during a university internship in Cambridge, where the archive, housed at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, inspired the creation of a digital website to preserve and share its contents. Using knowledge from the digital humanities, the project explores how digitisation and web creation can transform traditional archives into accessible and interactive resources. By combining preservation with dissemination, the project demonstrates the interdisciplinary potential of digital humanities in promoting research across art history, chemistry and cultural studies, while ensuring the long-term preservation of this unique artistic heritage.