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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is looking for examples of the albums of the Talbot Circulating Album Club. Founded in 1886 ‘for the monthly circulation and criticism of members’ work’, the Club soon connected a network of dedicated enthusiasts across England and into Scotland and Ireland.
Six of the Club’s monthly volumes are held by RBGE in the George Paxton Collection, the photographic archive of George Paxton (1850-1904) an amateur based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, who was a member of the Club from c1890 – c1900. Each contains around 15 prints, with a printed label on the opposite leaf for the photographer to add their name, the subject and date of the photograph and technical details of how the image had been taken, developed and printed. Examples of a print and an accompanying label are attached.
Because of the light the albums shed on Paxton’s photographic practice and associates, we are keen to identify other examples. Although several hundred such volumes must have been produced during the lifetime of the Club, initial enquiries with specialists and major collections have drawn a blank. We would also be glad to know of the whereabouts of the archive of Frederick H Langdon-Davies, who was secretary to the Club from its foundation until his death in 1937.
Replies
Your information suggests that by the 1930s the Club was circulating members' photographs in loose leaf folders rather than pasted in albums as in George Paxton's time. If this practice had been instituted much earlier in the 20th C, perhaps because membership had become larger, this may well account for the difficulty we have had in tracking down Talbot Album Club albums similar to the ones held by RBGE. This is helpful to know. Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
I have a large number of these photographs all by Hubert Swallow and all with the critique etc all in excellent condition, I discovered them after my Fathers death in his property
Thank you for getting in touch. I'm afraid I cannot advise you on value as I am a researcher interested in historical issues and do not trade in old photographs, although my understanding is that images and albums other than by prominent figures in photography rarely attract significant sums.
It is interesting to see a photograph by a Talbot Club member of a later era, and the critique by his fellow members. Are the items you illustrate part of a Talbot Club album, or have they come to you as separate items?
I got Hubert Swallow photos are they worth any value
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