The Photographic Studios of Europe

The Photographic Studios of Europe, first published in 1882, is the only detailed account available of working practices and conditions in the studios of the leading photographers of the Victorian period. Revealing, surprising, perceptive and authoritative, this first-hand report is based on seeing scores of photographers and their workshops in action. The result is fascinating and valuable both as a social historical record and as a classic of photographic literature. This newly-designed and typeset, 294-page edition provides - for the first time - a highly readable and accessible selection from the original Victorian edition. 

Author H Baden Pritchard adopts a "colloquial style" as he leads us on a "house-to-house visitation among the principal studios of Europe... determined to write down great things and small alike... and so produce a record of practice." Recording in detail the physical environment of each workplace, the range of photographic work undertaken, the employees, clientele, pricing policies and unique techniques of each studio, the book provides unparalleled insights into the burgeoning business of photography in the Victorian period. Among the many fascinating - and varied - experiences presented are visits to: the studio of Queen Victoria's photographer; the world's largest photographic studio, producing by hand 3,000 prints a day; Millbank Prison and Pentonville Penitentiary to watch how prisoners are recorded; the photographic studios at the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) - an "unpleasant, cold, draughty backstairs lumber room"

This fascinating book will be of interest to photographic curators, art historians, social historians - and to anyone with an interest in the history of photography and media.

Introduction

Studios in London
Francis Bedford at Camden Road
Payne Jennings at West Dulwich
Walter Woodbury at South Norwood
Hills & Saunders at Porchester Terrace
Captain Abney at South Kensington Museum
Valentine Blanchard in Regent Street
Robert Faulkner in Baker Street
The Van der Weide Electric Studio in Regent Street
The Platinotype Company at Bromley End
Dr Huggins at Upper Tulse Hill
The Woodbury Permanent Printing Company at Kent Gardens, Ealing
A City Phototype Establishment
Millbank Prison
Pentonville Penitentiary

Studios in England
H P Robinson at Tunbridge Wells
Jabez Hughes at Regina House, Ryde
Kew Observatory
Brown, Barnes & Bell at Liverpool

Studios in Scotland
James Valentine & Sons at Dundee
T & R Allan at Glasgow

Studios in France
Adam-Salomon in the Rue de la Faisanderie, Paris
M. Nadar in the Rue d’Anjou St Honoré, Paris
The Préfecture de Police in Paris

H Baden Pritchard (1841–1884) was Secretary of the Photographic Society of Great Britain and remains "a distinguished name in photography" (Mark Haworth-Booth).  

Title: The Photographic Studios of Europe
Author: H Baden Pritchard
First published: 1882
Pages: 294
Illustrations: 16
Size: 203 x 127mm
Date: 2013
Editions: £29.95 [paperback] | £25.95 [eBook] 

ISBN: 978-1-907697-79-1 [paperback]

Problem ordering online? Please email orders@museumsetc.com
Question? Email us: hello@museumsetc.com
Guarantee: We offer all our readers an unconditional guarantee: if, at any time, you decide this book’s not for you, simply return it to us for a full and prompt refund. 


NEWSLETTER

WANT MORE OF THIS?
Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up-to-date with the latest releases, book extracts and free Reading Room chapters.