Quirky, hi-tech, London-loving (and loved by London), finger-on-the-pulse journalism…no, we’re not talking about Londonist here, but rather one of its forefathers – the Illustrated London News. The world’s first ever illustrated newspaper, the ILN was a feature on the news stands of London since its launch in May 1842 ‘til very nearly recently (it seems to have been produced until 2002). It would appear to have been a victim of its parent company changing hands one too many times.

Anyway, its new ‘consortium’ of owners are anxious to preserve the priceless heritage that is the ILN picture archive, and are talking about resuscitating it as a (presumably glossy, chi-chi, must-have) magazine.

This is good news – good for London, good for historians, good for tourists and collectors. So whoop-de-doop.

A real London icon if ever there was one.

Illustration courtesy of Julieanne Savage’s flickr photo stream.