Fotografías antiguas. Albúminas York James Valentine Vintage albumen of the city of York by J. Valentine
Se presentan tres albúminas que se pueden fechar hacia 1885 del estudio fotográfico James Valentine uno de los más conocidos del Reino Unido en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX.
Las vistas corresponden a la ciudad de York, una vista general y dos de sus monumentos más conocidos, la Catedral una de las más importantes de Inglaterra y las ruinas de la Abadía de Santa María.
Las fotos son de calidad media elevada si bien el carácter profesional es, posiblemente, superior al artístico
El estudio de James Valentine fue llevado por este fotógrafo que, pronto, tuvo la ayuda de dos hijos. Uno de los hijos William se especializó en el paisaje y el otro George en el retrato.
Este estudio fue totalmente, en el sentido amplio de la palabra, una industria fotográfica cuyos fondos fueron extraordinariamente importantes y vendió fotos por todo el país siendo todavía fácil encontrarlas hoy dia.
- Los archivos de James Valentine se conservan en la
Aquí dispone de varios documentos en pdf que se pueden descargar con todo tipo de información sobre este estudio, sus creadores, procesos fotográficos, medios etc.
Véase
................Valentines of Dundee, the well-known photographic company which produced
Scottish topographical views from the 1860s, and later became
internationally famous as the producers of picture postcards was founded
in 1851 by James Valentine (1815-1879). He added portrait photography
to the activities of his established Dundee business, which had been
based up to 1851 on the engraving, printing and supply of business
stationery. In 1855 he erected one of the largest photographic
glasshouses in Britain. About 1860 he decided to emulate the success of
George Washington Wilson in Aberdeen in selling topographical view
photographs. In 1866 James Valentine carried out his first Royal
commission and received the Royal warrant in 1867. He used a converted
barouche as a mobile darkroom. His exceptional organisational and
presentational skills were essential in the rapidly expanding and
thriving concern which opened a large printing works at 152 and 154
Perth Road, Dundee. William Dobson Valentine (1844-1907), son of James
Valentine, took a course of chemistry at London University and trained
to be a landscape specialist in the studios of Francis Frith at Reigate,
Surrey, the largest English publisher of the commercial landscape. He
entered the family business in about 1860.
...........This enterprise proved to be so profitable that in 1855 Valentine
erected one of the largest photographic glasshouses in Britain. By the
end of the decade portrait photography came first in his advertisements
and he was retailing photographs of local worthies. In the early
1860s—after instruction in the studio of Francis Frith in Reigate,
Surrey—he added landscape photography to his repertory, aided by the
ingenious conversion of a barouche into a mobile dark-room and by the
entry into the business of his eldest son by his second marriage,
William Dobson Valentine. In 1864 he solicited the Queen Victoria's
attention with topographical photographs, including one of Queenswell in
Glen Mark, and was rewarded with commissions for views of Scottish
scenery. In 1868 he obtained the royal warrant as ‘photographer to the
queen’, the second in Scotland to do so after George Washington Wilson
of Aberdeen..................
Saint Mary Abbey from south York
St Mary's Abbey in York was a great institution which sat opposite and mirrored the city's cathedral for some 350 years.
Its story ties together two of the most important events in English
history. It was begun by William the Conqueror to reinforce his hold on
the north after 1066 and ended by Henry the Eighth as a consequence of
his Reformation of the church.
In its day it was the wealthiest abbey in the north and one of the richest in the country.
The abbey's economic power and privileges brought benefits to the city but were also a source of conflict......
York from the railway bridge
York Minister from S.E.
York Minster Revealed
.In one of the country’s largest conservation and restoration project of
its kind, cutting-edge science meets ancient craftsmanship to reveal the
glory of York Minster's East End, a masterpiece of stained-glass and
stone, hailed as England’s 'Sistine Chapel'. The project draws on
international expertise, while the award-winning Stoneyard and York
Glaziers Trust have been able to expand training in the specialist craft
skills of stone-masonry and stained-glass conservation.............
.....York localis a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city
has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political
events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city
offers a wealth of historic attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent, and a variety of cultural and sporting activities.
......... In the Middle Ages, York grew as a major wool trading centre and became the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England, a role it has retained.
..........In the 19th century, York became a hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing centre
Excelente artículo en inglés que repasa la historia profesional de estos dos grandes estudios fotográficos con especial hincapié a los procedimientos de "marketing fotográfico de la época"
..................With a similar
entrepreneurial spirit, in a bid to extend his initial portraits into the realm
of greater production, Wilson
had a stroke of marketing genius. In 1857 he created a montage of one-hundred
and one of Aberdeen’s established middle class,
identifying the who’s who of Aberdeen
society, and simultaneously drawing attention to himself, to his clients and
their elevated status. It sold extremely well, and in a single stroke this new
promotion publicly cemented his relationship with existing clients while using
their patronage and image as advertising, thus compelling other members of
society, wishing for similar recognition, to visit his studio in the hopes of
being included in the next year’s edition...........