The honour goes to the Allan Cash Picture Library, a fascinating black and white photographic archive created by James Allan Cash who travelled the globe from the late 1930s with his Leica camera, taking photographs of the indigenous peoples, buildings and landscapes. The archive includes comprehensive coverage of the UK and Ireland.

It is one of a number of agencies who have added new collections to Alamy recently, bringing the number of images on its site to nearly 16 million. They include Corbis UK – Fancy, a premium royalty free collection and Ria Novisti, a comprehensive collection from the Russian News and Information Service and the first in depth collection on Alamy dedicated to all things Russian.  

Other recent signings are Science Photo Library RF, the world's leading provider and established resource of scientific imagery and health care images, Mauritius Images, one of the biggest owner-run picture agencies in Europe, representing more than 700 freelance photographers and Illustration Works, a diverse collection from leading national and international illustrators.

Alamy’s director of photography Alex Bortkiewicz said: “We are delighted to have signed our 500th agency. We see Alamy developing as a visual resource for image buyers of encyclopaedic proportions, further enriched and complemented with unique contributions from a global roster of photographers.

“These latest collections confirm the ongoing lively diversity of the Alamy collection. They include conceptual illustration, an established science brand, fascinating historical collection, creative royalty free, trend setting general stock and specialist press collection covering the Russian Federation.”