John Hannavy's collection of Victorian photography and photographic ephemera is being put up for auction in the spring. The collection comprises, amongst other things, the largest collection of thermoplastic Union Cases in the UK – including many by John Smith, the only known British union case manufacturer – hundreds of cased and framed inages from the 1840s to the 1860s, a collection of Roger Fenton's Crimean War images (below), some of Francis Frith's views of the Nile Valley, and a rare Julia Margaret Cameron print titled ‘ ove’ with provenance back to Cameron’s daughter.
Hannavy has been collecting 19th and early 20th century photographca for over forty years. As well as providing illustrations for several of his books, the collection served as a teaching aid in his academic career at the University of Bolton, where he was Professor in Photography and Photographic History. The collection is being sold as his interests have moved to industrial archaeology and heritage.
Amongst the early daguerreotypes which will be included in the sale is a pair of very rare framed portraits by Berlin photographer Gustave Oehme – the one illustrated here (above, right) is identified as Louise Brause, the other is of her sister. Oehme is believed to have been taught the process by Daguerre himself. Daguerreotypes by Kilburn, Mayall, Claudet, and others, and a rare stereo daguerreotype showing the interior of the Great Hall of the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris are also to be sold.
Many of the items to be included in the auction are illustrated in John’s 2005 book Case Histories – the Presentation of the Victorian Photographic Portrait, published by the Antique Collectors’ Club.
The sale will be held at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester on 9 March 2018. More information will be available from the auctioneers in due course: http://www.dominic-winter.co.uk/
Image: Roger Fenton, Chasseurs d'Afrique.
Comments