The National Gallery is allowing visitors to take their own photographs of its collection for the first time, after staff realised they were fighting a losing battle against mobile phones.
The gallery, which has until now banned members of the public from taking their own pictures, will now permit visitors to take amateur photographs on their personal phones and cameras.
The change in policy came about after staff found it increasingly difficult to differentiate between guests using their mobile phones to research paintings on the gallery's free wifi, and those trying to take photos.
