19th Century Photography from Charles Wood
Nineteenth Century Photography from Charles Wood.
by Michael Stillman
If a picture is worth a thousand words, it will be impossible to do Charles Wood Bookseller's latest catalogue justice. Catalogue 126 is titled Nineteenth Century Photography. Photography was not developed until the 1830s, and it was around mid-century that the first books to use photographic images began to appear. By the time of the American Civil War, the process had become so common and developed that its images could be used to save and record even ordinary events for history. Whereas none of America's founding fathers could have their photographic images preserved for future generations to see, the commonest of Civil War foot soldiers could. Even then, technology was marching forward at a rapid pace.
Of course, these advances were in no way limited to America. The earliest developments were taking place in France, starting with Joseph Nicephore Niepce's first photograph of 1826, followed after his death by partner Louis Daguerre's Daguerreotype process patented in 1839. Wood's collection of photographs and photographic books is international in scope, though he is an American bookseller. Here are a few of the items he offers.
So, if this is a catalogue of nineteenth century photography, and photography wasn't even invented until the 1800s, what is a 1799 book doing in here? The answer is that Deportation et Naufrage... by Frenchman J.J. Ayme created its images using a process called "physionotrace," a precursor to photography. This process allowed for an exact tracing of a person's profile, wherefrom an artist could fill and color the details. Item 9. Priced at $550.
As long as we find ourselves focused on France, here's one more: Les Travaux Publics de la France, from Leonce Reynaud. This is a five-volume set containing photographs of France's various public works from the 1850s to the 1870s, published by Baron James Rothschild from 1876-1883. Each volume contains 50 collotype images (a process which created printed images which look much like photographs). Wood notes that the books not only provided a history of French public works, but that the photographs reflected the vision and settings of an artist as much as a photographer. Item 181. $25,000.
Leander Cook was an itinerant photographer, probably based in the Boston area. Item 36 is a circa 1860s broadside headed "Pictures! Pictures!" Cook posted to announce he would be in an area. Anyone wishing their picture taken, or to purchase frames and albums, were invited to visit his "traveling saloon." He encourages parents to "Bring the little ones as near noon as possible, and in a clear day, on account of the light." Evidently "saloon" had a different meaning then if you were supposed to bring the children. $550.
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19th Century Photography from Charles Wood
Daniel Webster from the Gallery of Illustrious Americans, the 101-year-old Atkins from Old Age.
There aren't many things that spell freedom and adventure to the American psyche like trains. Everyone loves trains. Here is a book full of them. Item 10 is an 1881 catalogue from the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia. It includes 18 photographs of locomotives, including one described as "inclosed" and "noiseless." Baldwin was formed in 1831, and by this time was one of if not the largest locomotive builder. It continued to maintain its strong position through the steam engine era, but lagged behind when the diesel arrived. By the 1950s, it was out of business, its plant now housing, ironically, a trucking company. $2,250.
Here is a collection of some of the earliest photographs of American statesmen: The Gallery of Illustrious Americans, Containing the Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Twenty-four of the Most Eminent Citizens of the American Republic since the Death of Washington. Edited by C. Edwards Lester, and taken from daguerreotypes by Mathew Brady, this book was published in 1850. But first, a warning - despite the title, there are only 12 portraits, not 24. Among the illustrious leaders whose images were preserved by this new process were Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, General Winfield Scott, and John James Audubon (what's he doing in here with a bunch of politicians?). The quality of these portraits is outstanding. This is a real find for collectors of 19th century political Americana. Item 130. $7,500.
George Humphry produced a photographic essay of some of Britain's older citizens in 1889. The book is, Old Age. The Results of Information Received respecting Nearly 900 Persons who had Attained the Age of Eighty Years, including seventy-four Centenarians. The frontispiece (see image to the left) is of Benjamin Atkins and his wife, each aged 101. We don't know what happened to the Atkins, but if they are still around, they will be 218 this year. Happy birthday! Item 103. $500.
Item 114 is Payne Jennings' Sun Pictures of the Norfolk Broads. I know what you're thinking, and no, these are not pictures of Norfolk ladies at the beach. The Broads are a series of inland waterways and wetlands in Britain, a great place to vacation today, as it undoubtedly was circa 1892 when this book was published. $450.
Here is an ironic item: Souvenir of the Flood by Hunter Bros. This includes eight views of a flood that inundated Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1886, produced by an enterprising local photographer. What makes this piece timely today is just last fall, downtown Taunton was evacuated for several days when it was feared that a nearby dam might break and again flood the city. Item 106. $250.
For every subject, there is a collector. Item 196 is perfect for the person who collects septic systems. Well...maybe not literally, but books about septic systems. It is The Septic Tank System. Views of Installations, published in London circa 1902. It includes 11 large, glossy photos of septic systems in various English towns. $750.
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19th Century Photography from Charles Wood
The Falls of Taughannock
Item 146 is an uncommon memorial to a great event in telecommunications. It celebrates the laying of a transatlantic cable from France to the United States. The title is, The Landing of the French Atlantic Cable at Duxbury, Mass., July 1869, and includes a photograph of the cable extending up the beach entitled, "The Landing." $1,300.
Now for an item related to the greatest of American Indian photographic books, one that is financially out of reach to virtually everyone. A set of Edward Curtis' North American Indian Portfolios sold at a Christie's auction last year for $1,416,000. Item 38 is the prospectus for Curtis Indians, circa 1900-1905, announcing the publication of this 40-volume limited edition. You can have this item for the much more affordable price of $400.
Item 226 is a manuscript contract for the sale of rights to The Walford Process. H.H. Walford of Chiswick had developed a process for producing and printing color photographs, which he sold in 1897 for the then considerable sum of L2,000 plus shares of stock in the Walford Process Syndicate Ltd. Wood notes that he has been unable to find any information about the process, or whether the syndicate succeeded, though I suspect the absence of information is a strong sign that it did not. $300.
We conclude with The Falls of Taughannock...the highest fall in the State of New York... Wait a minute. Taller than Niagara? The answer is yes, Taughannock Falls are an amazing 215 feet high, one of the highest east of the Rockies. Located in the Town of Ulysses, near Ithaca in New York's Finger Lakes Region, it is part of Taughannock State Park. Item 85, published in 1872, includes a description of, along with a fantastic picture by Lewis Halsey of, these beautiful falls. $650.
Charles Wood Bookseller is found online at www.cbwoodbooks.com, and reached by phone at 617-868-1711.
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