Tour of the Thames, Illustrated with Photographs
HALL, Samuel Carter and Anna Maria; Francis FRITH, attributed photographer.
The Book of the Thames, from its Rise to its Fall. By Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall. London, (Virtue and Co. for) Alfred W. Bennett, 1867.
Small 4to, pp. viii, 207, [1, blank]; illustrated with 15 mounted and captioned albumen prints (c. 95–100 x 140 mm) and 140 in-text woodcuts; some cockling to the mounts and small abrasions to the edges of the first two prints, damp-stain to corner of the Tower of London mount (facing p. 183), very occasional light foxing; a very good copy in near-contemporary red pebbled cloth over boards, spine lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers; extremities rubbed, light marks to covers, front hinge split.
Added to your basket:
The Book of the Thames, from its Rise to its Fall. By Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall.
First photographically illustrated edition of this tour of the Thames by the prolific writers Samuel Carter and Anna Maria Hall, illustrated with photographs attributed to Francis Frith. The text had first appeared in 1859.
Samuel (1800–1889) and Anna Maria (née Fielding, 1800–1881) had produced an estimated 545 books by the end of their careers. Their output did not bring commensurate wealth, however; recognising the couple’s achievements and financial precariousness, Disraeli granted Anna Maria a £100 civil-list pension in 1868.
Francis Frith (1822–1898) is noted both for his technical excellence and for his business acumen that ‘brought landscape photography to the man in the street’ (ODNB). The photographs here include views from the Folly Bridge in Oxford, and of Eton, Windsor, Hampton, and the Tower of London.
Gernsheim, Incunabula of British photographic literature, 352.