The first meeting of the Trades Union Congress took place at Manchester in June 1868. Originally established as a debating society - a working class version of the Social Science Association or British Association for the Advancement of Science - the Trades Union Congress grew to become Britain's national trade union centre, and one of the largest and most influential pressure groups in Britain.

This slideshow uses documents from the TUC's own archive, along with other collections held at the Modern Records Centre, to give glimpses into the first 150 years of the Trades Union Congress.

Interested in finding out more about the history of the TUC? Some early histories of the organisation are available to read in full.