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Ryerson acquires Francis Bedford Research Collection

Ryerson Image Centre has acquired the Francis Bedford Research Collection which has been assembled by Toronto-based architectural photographer and collector Steven Evans It encompasses the life’s work of Francis Bedford (1815-1894), one of the pre-eminent English architecture and landscape photographers of the nineteenth century.

The collection comprises 1269 individual photographs in a variety of formats, six albums and 28 publications with original tipped-in photographs, and related ephemera. It also includes 16 lithographic publications, reflecting Bedford’s initial training as an architectural draughtsman and reproduction lithographer.

Ranging from the mid-1840s to 1870, the Francis Bedford Research Collection features views from the photographer’s extensive travels throughout the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where he famously served as official photographer for the Prince of Wales’ tour in 1862. Scarce early photographs, variant prints from the same negatives, examples of numerous stereographic formats, view albums and rare sales catalogues offer an unparalleled resource for scholarly study of Bedford’s working methods, the dissemination of his work through various commercial channels, and historical context.

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Comment by Paula Fleming on April 5, 2021 at 13:37: Steven Evan's Bedford collection is magnificent -- I'm so happy this great resource is now at Ryerson!