Bonhams Oxford is offering part of the photography collection of Harry Wills who died in 2011 aged 90. Wills was born and raised in Birmingham and was one of the earliest collectors of photographs and photographic equipment in Britain. He was a founder member of The Royal Photographic Society's Historical Group in 1972 and part of the first generation of British collectors and photographic historians. Pete James paid generous tribute to Wills in his obituary published in the April 2012 RPS Journal.
Although the provenance of the material in the material is not given by Bonhams the lots includes much of early British and Birmingham photographic interest as well as some of Wills' own photography (shown right). The photographs include material from W H F Talbot, Samuel Smith, Harold White, an extensive collection of topographic albums, cartes de visite and ambrotypes as well as early and rare photographically illustrated books.
The sale begins at 10.30am on 26 June and is on view from 23-26 June.
For more information about the lots see: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20138/
The fate of the rest of Wills' extensive photography collection and his equipment collection has not been disclosed.
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