The Royal Western Australian Historical Society (Inc) (RWAHS) was formed in 1926. In 90 years it has grown from a small group of people to about 800 members and organisations, including a network of 74 Affiliated Societies interested in preserving the history of Western Australia and to one with a royal charter. It houses a fascinating museum with a unique art collection, an extensive reference library, a Photograph Archive and a boutique bookshop of Western Australian history publications. The Society has always been actively involved in advocacy for history and heritage across the State and over the last decade or so its influence in that regard has grown.

You can search the Catalogues of The Royal Western Australian Historical Society’s historical collections online. The items embraced by these records have been collected and managed by the Society since 1926 and include a wealth of information on many aspects of Western Australian history dating back to European settlement in 1826, with some going back even further.

The catalogues cover the Library, Museum, Photographs and Public Memorials collections. You can also search across the collections. These catalogues have been made accessible via the web so that users can search them from anywhere in the world for historical research and general interest purposes.

The online Photographs collection catalogue is not complete. If you cannot find an image you are looking for, please contact the Library.