Multiple figures per row with vertical label

Question

I want to do something similar to what is done in this paper:

In particular I'm interested in:

1. Same amount of images per row
2. Using a vertical label to categorize each row
3. Adding a caption
4. Wrapping the image (so there can be text on one side)

I've read some questions (here and here) but they are very different from what I want, can you help me?

I've tried this, but I'm getting errors:

\usepackage{subcaption} % for subfigures

\begin{table}[ht]
\begin{tabular}{ccc}
\begin{subfigure}{0.4\textwidth}\includegraphics[width=0.3\columnwidth]{Figures/all_souls_000021.jpg}&
\begin{subfigure}{0.4\textwidth}\includegraphics[width=0.3\columnwidth]{Figures/all_souls_000091.jpg}&
\begin{subfigure}{0.4\textwidth}\includegraphics[width=0.3\columnwidth]{Figures/oxford_000177.jpg}\\
\end{tabular}
\caption{A table with figures}
\label{tab:mytable}
\end{table}

Error:

! Missing } inserted.<inserted text>} ...olumnwidth]{Figures/all_souls_000021.jpg}&

Answer 1

With a handy interface:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx,xparse,booktabs}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\NewDocumentEnvironment{places}{mm}
 {% #1 is the desired width, #2 is the number of photos per line
  \setlength{\tabcolsep}{0pt} % no space between rows
  \dim_set:Nn \l_places_width_dim
   {
    (#1-\ht\strutbox-\dp\strutbox-2pt)/(#2)
   }
  \begin{tabular}{r @{\hspace{2pt}} *{#2}{c}}
 }
 {
  \end{tabular}
 }

\NewDocumentCommand{\place}{mm}
 {% #1 is the name of the place, #2 is the comma separated list of images
  \seq_set_from_clist:Nn \l_places_images_in_seq { #2 }
  \seq_set_map:NNn \l_places_images_out_seq \l_places_images_in_seq { \places_set_image:n {##1} }
  \seq_put_left:Nn \l_places_images_out_seq
   {
    \begin{tabular}{c}\rotatebox[origin=c]{90}{\strut#1}\end{tabular}
   }
  \seq_use:Nn \l_places_images_out_seq { & } \\ \addlinespace
 }

\dim_new:N \l_places_width_dim
\seq_new:N \l_places_images_in_seq
\seq_new:N \l_places_images_out_seq

\cs_new_protected:Nn \places_set_image:n
 {
  \makebox[\l_places_width_dim]
   {
    \begin{tabular}{c}
    \includegraphics[
      width=\l_places_width_dim,
      height=\l_places_width_dim,
      keepaspectratio,
    ]{#1}
    \end{tabular}
   }
 }

\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering

\begin{places}{\textwidth}{5}
\place{Hertford}{
  example-image,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b
}
\place{Pitt Rivers}{
  example-image,
  example-image-9x16,
  example-image-b,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b
}
\end{places}

\caption{Images}

\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering

\begin{places}{.5\textwidth}{5}
\place{Hertford}{
  example-image,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b
}
\place{Pitt Rivers}{
  example-image,
  example-image-9x16,
  example-image-b,
  example-image-a,
  example-image-b
}
\end{places}

\caption{Images}

\end{figure}

\end{document}

Answer 2

I suspect, that you like to have something like this:

but I'm not sure. The code snippet of above figure is:

    \begin{figure}
\setlength\tabcolsep{1pt}
\settowidth\rotheadsize{Radcliffe Cam}
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{l XXX }
\rothead{text 1}        &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-1}
                        &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-2}    
                        &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-3}     \\  \addlinespace[2pt]
\rothead{Radcliffe Cam} &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-4}
                        &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-5}
                        &   \includegraphics[width=\hsize,valign=m]{image-6}
\end{tabularx}
    \caption{A table with figures}
\label{tab:mytable}
    \end{figure}

In preamble of your document should be loaded (among others) the following packages:

\usepackage[demo]{graphicx}
\usepackage{booktabs, makecell, tabularx}
\usepackage{rotating}
\usepackage[export]{adjustbox}

Addendum: In the cases when you like to have images in "block" narrower then text width, than you need to prescribe narrower width of tabularx (not of figure environment, this you can't do on the way as you show in comment):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[demo,   % in real document remove "demo" 
            export]{adjustbox}
\usepackage{rotating}
\usepackage{booktabs, makecell, tabularx}

\begin{document}
    \begin{figure}
\setlength\tabcolsep{1pt}
\settowidth\rotheadsize{Radcliffe Cam}
\setkeys{Gin}{width=\hsize}
\begin{tabularx}{0.8\linewidth}{l XXX }% <-- here is determined table width
\rothead{\centering
         text 1}        &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-1}
                        &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-2}    
                        &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-3}     \\  
    \addlinespace[2pt]
\rothead{Radcliffe Cam} &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-4}
                        &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-5}
                        &   \includegraphics[valign=m]{image-6}
\end{tabularx}
    \caption{A table with figures}
\label{tab:mytable}
    \end{figure}
\end{document}

Edit: After two and half years ... :-) the code fragment in the addendum is extended to complete MWE. Also some small improvements are done. Now MWE should be simple testable.