Annebella's research interest in popular practices in photography intersects with her work on popular image culture more broadly. This includes research and publications on Victorian valentines (for Early Popular Visual Culture, 2014), Edwardian picture postcards (for Photography and Culture, 2009) and the history of the silhouette portrait (University of Brighton, 2013). The themes and case studies developed through these publications, and other unpublished studies, are currently being reworked and extended by Annebella into a new monograph, provisionally entitled The Image at Large.
Annebella's research into postcards and valentines grew out of her employment as a Researcher / Interpreter for the Rules of Attraction project (Royal Pavilion, Libraries and Museums, Brighton and Hove, 2007-8). The purpose of this nationally funded project was to uncover hidden histories of love and romance in local museum collections in order to produce innovative, creative and accessible exhibition content to attract new audiences. As one of six appointments, and as part of a team that included a musician, scientist and comedian, Annebella's research into affective objects has taken various forms. Outcomes included Love Objects, a 50,000 word project report, numerous conference papers and journal articles, as well as public talks, website content and artefact research for the On the Pull exhibition, Brighton Museum, February-September 2008. Interviews related to this research have appeared in publications as diverse as Picture Postcard Monthly, Collector's Weekly (USA) and the Daily Mail.
In 2013, Annebella jointly led a University of Brighton Springboard Grant-funded research project, with Professor Lou Taylor, Dr Charlotte Nicklas and Nick Tyson, Curator of the Regency Town House, Hove, on the history of the silhouette portrait. This resulted in a study day, edited publication and exhibition, Profiles of the Past: Silhouettes, Fashion and Image 1760-1960, which form a part of the larger Profiles of the Past Heritage Lottery Fund project http://www.profilesofthepast.org.uk/
