Dogs in Early Photography is based on Koh’s extensive collection of early dog photography, now donated to the Bodleian. Dogs explores the physicality of the dog, the human obsession with breed, and how pet dogs came to reflect the status and personality of their owners. Most importantly, this collection celebrates the unique relationship between humans and dogs, as photographs, either purposely or accidentally, capture the charm and endless appeal of dogginess across breeds, class, roles, and time.
The selections from the collection that prompted this book show a variety of dogs in settings ranging from the studio to the field and stream. They demonstrate the difficulty in capturing a moving subject in early photographic formats ranging from unique daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes in the 1850s to popular cartes de visite after the middle of the century. It also explores the physicality of the dog, the human obsession with breed, and how pet dogs came to reflect the status and personality of their owners. But most importantly, this collection celebrates the unique relationship between humans and dogs, as photographs, either purposely or accidentally, capture the charm and endless appeal of dogginess across breeds, class, roles and time.
Richard Ovenden, Bodley's Library said: 'This book is most eloquent in celebrating the art of collecting. Having been a librarian involved in special collections for almost 40 years (and for 35 of those a customer of Bernard Quaritch), I have never encountered such a niche collecting area so beautifully executed into a fully-fledged collection (and in such a short space of time).’
A noted book collector, John Koh has spent years building a vast private collection of photographs and other historical ephemera, including the many nineteenth-century photographs of dogs which are presented in this new book. John Koh is the owner of Bernard Quaritch Ltd and has long been a Friend of the Bodleian and a member of the Bodleian Advisory Board.
Dogs in Early Photography
John Koh
Bernard Quaritch Ltd, 2024
£50
See: https://www.quaritch.com/books/koh-john/dogs-in-early-photography/U68/
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