Country House Camera

by Christopher Simon Sykes

COUNTRY HOUSE CAMERA is first and foremost an extraordinary collection of photographs. Discovered by Christopher Simon Sykes in the attics, trunks and dust-covered albums of the great country houses of Britain and Ireland, they provide an unforgettable picture of country house life from the 1850s to the 1930s. Essentially private family pictures taken by amateur photographers – the country house owners themselves or their friends and relations – they provide an intimate self-portrait of upper-class life at its zenith, as well as chronicling the changes that have overtaken it. The country house can claim to be the birthplace of photography in England, through William Fox Talbot’s work in the 1830s at Lacock Abbey. In its pioneer years, the camera continues to appeal to the aristocracy. In an age when most ladies dabbled in watercolours and many gentlemen pursued an interest in science, photography provided the perfect pastime; and they had the indispensable requirements; leisure, money and space. The early affinity between the camera and the country house continued during the second half of the 19th century and up to the 1930s, yet the work of the country house photographers has remained largely undiscovered. The author’s researches have revealed the work of hitherto unrecognized aristocratic photographers whose ability compares with that of the great names in early photography. Lady Lucy Bridgemen, who died in a drawing-room fire in 1858, took her remarkable pictures several years before Julia Margaret Cameron ever held a camera. Other talented amateurs whose work is shown here include Lady Jocelyn, Lady Clonbrock and Beatrice, Countess of Durham. Over 300 black-and-white photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this wonderful treasure of a book about 15 years ago from a Barnes and Noble bargain table for about 8 dollars…One of the best purchases Ive made..This beautiful hardcover book was published in the UK and features as both a historical narrative and documentary of photography in the UK and an intimate, rare look at the daguerreotypes and old photos of country house life taken by the British aristocracy who fell in love with the new craze of photography starting in the 1840s..The photos are from 1840-1930s and most are taken by amateurs eager to perfect their shutterbug skills on their families, friends and servants…Many of the photos reveal people in relaxed, unposed situations in the privacy of their own homes, , whether eating, playing tennis, croquet, boating or even swimming..There are fascinating pictures of the British front between the wars and rare photos of WW one civilian life….Famous country homes of Churchill, Vita Sackville West, Daisy Granville , Julia Margaret Cameron and other famous Victorians are included…Anyone who loves the grand historical country houses of Britain and has a fascination with rare photographs will love this book.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on the wealthier people of the UK photographing themselves and their friends and activities, mainly in the 1800s.