Rare photographs from The Independent archive

From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the gay rights movement of the Nineties, lose yourself in some of photography’s finest ‘first drafts of history’

Sir Ian McKellen on the phone at Stonewall offices before the government’s age of consent reform in 1994. (Philip Meech/The Independent)

The Independent has a long and proud tradition of championing photojournalism. We are very excited to share this rarely seen collection, which showcases the storytelling power of photography.

From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the gay rights movement of the Nineties, lose yourself in some of photography’s finest “first drafts of history”.

For any enquiries regarding the images featured here please contact esilibrary@esimedia.co.uk.

Fall of the Berlin Wall: People celebrating ‘opening day’, when East German officials opened the wall, allowing travel from East to West Berlin. (Brian Harris/The Independent)

Lovers embrace near the Jewish cemetery in Prague after the fall of the Czech government in 1989. (Brian Harris/The Independent)

Billy Connolly drinks a cup of ‘tickety-boo’ tea on board a square-rigged ship named The Grand Turk. The profits from this tea went to charities aiding people in need, particularly children. (Mark Chilvers/The Independent)

Whitney Houston performing for the I’m Your Baby Tonight World Tour, 1991. (Tom Pilston/The Independent)

Ian Wright and Paul Gascoigne in Izmir, Turkey, for a World Cup qualifying match in 1992. England won 4-0 against Turkey. (David Ashdown/The Independent)

Man tinkers under bonnet of London bus in depot, date unknown. (Tom Pilston/The Independent)

Boy smiling in Cynon Valley, a former coal mining valley in Wales. (Brian Harris/The Independent)

Passengers boarding a 10am train at Paddington Station do a double take on seeing Mikhail Gorbachev on board. He was on his way to Bristol. (Tom Pilston/The Independent)

Dame Judi Dench in costume in her dressing room at the National Theatre, 1994. Dench was starring in the role of Arkadina in a production of Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’. (Philip Meech/The Independent)

Italy, 1994. (Brian Harris/The Independent)

David Bowie at a press conference for Sound + Vision at the Rainbow Theatre, 1990. (Brian Harris/The Independent)

Bon Jovi performing in 1994. (Kalpesh Lathigra/The Independent )

Man listening to a Walkman on the London Underground, 1993. The Walkman was at the height of its popularity between 1987 and 1997. (John Voos/The Independent)

Gary Lineker tackles John Jensen during the England v Denmark match at Wembley stadium, 1992. (David Ashdown/The Independent)