A collection of over 7,000 historical photographs of England compiled by Janette Rosing (1942–2021) has been transferred to Historic England under the government Acceptance in Lieu scheme. A previous tranche of Rosing's collection of Cornish photographs was passed to Kresen Kernow (Cornwall archives) under the same scheme in 2023.
The 2024 Cultural Gifts and Acceptance in Lieu Report notes: Janette Rosing, was historian and prominent collector, compiled this extensive survey of 19thcentury photographs over 50 years. Rosing’s research interests embraced the topographical history, built environment, social life and customs of England. The photographs were purchased individually or removed from albums and rearranged by Rosing. She made handwritten annotations on the reverses and borders of the prints that document her research and decisionmaking in building the collection. The collection includes many rare and early examples of different photographic processes, and features the work of such leading pioneer photographers as Francis Bedford, Linnaeus Tripe, Francis Frith and Frederick Scott Archer.
The Panel considered the archive, accepted from the estate of Miss Janette Rosing, preeminent under the first and third criteria. It has been permanently allocated to Historic England for its archives in Swindon in accordance with the condition attached to the offer.
The tax value was £21,536.
The government's Acceptance in Lieu (AIL) Scheme and Cultural Gifts Scheme (CGS) enable UK museums, galleries, libraries and archives to acquire significant objects, in most cases at no cost to themselves. Managed by the Arts Council of England the 2023 report has just been published and there are two entries of particular interest to BPH readers. All applications and need to meet the Waverley pre-eminence criteria which is used in assessing objects offered under both schemes:
- Does the object have an especially close association with our history and national life?
- Is the object of especial artistic or art-historical interest?
- Is the object of especial importance for the study of some particular form of art, learning or history?
- Does the object have an especially close association with a particular historic setting?
Image: Photograph of Wisbech Hunstanton Hall by Samuel Smith. Photo: Courtesy of The Historic England Archive.
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