The British Empire, that famous empire where the sun never set, as the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries liked to describe it - here we see some of its many facets. The mysterious art of photography originally came from France, the country of the arch-enemy, but a significant improvement was achieved in 1840 by William Henry Fox Talbot, a scientifically gifted son of a distinguished family of the English upper class. As the scion of a wealthy family, the young Talbot was in the fortunate position of being able to devote himself entirely to his private studies of chemistry and physics. With success! The photographic pioneer finally succeeded in developing a process that made it possible to reproduce the image by making prints from the negative. This negative-positive process became the fundamental photographic technique. For a long time, it had been overshadowed by the daguerreotype, which had been known since 1839. This technically more complex process produced very beautiful, detailed images, but forced the photographer to handle highly toxic mercury and cyanide vapors.
But no danger could stop the triumph of the new art of photography through the world.
In the category "English photographers" are the photographs of famous people such as Queen Victoria or Empress Frederick-celebrities of their time-but also unknown people, solemn occasions, cathedrals, palaces, pyramids, as well as the slums of London with their oppressive poverty or pictures from the Boer War. The invention of photography made it possible for the first time that not only the rich could leave a picture of themselves to posterity. Poorer people could now also afford to have a portrait taken of themselves or their family. In those early years, being photographed was still a serious matter and the pictures we have kept from that time reflect that seriousness, that solemnity. It is what makes the photographs so peculiarly appealing to many.
A portrait photograph in the 19th century was always something undertaken with an eye to the future absence of the sitter; absence through death. These were years of high infant mortality, the horrors of tuberculosis and other incurable diseases. That is why only a few people were granted to reach a stately old age.
People longed for something lasting, and photography now provided that for everyone.
But the new art also offered the possibility of documenting what had previously been reserved for those who could draw or paint well. The eye of the camera, however, was incorruptible and relentless, and therefore sometimes feared. Many a painter had gained fame and loyal customers by flattering his clients and depicting them more beautifully than they really were. The sensory organ of flesh and blood was corruptible, the artificial eye of the camera was not.
But in the end, it's the same here as with everything else: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and beautiful is everything that is looked at with love.
×
Passionate Customer Service
 at the age of sixty-six c1885 - (MeisterDrucke-96006).jpg "Queen Victoria (1819-1901) at the age of sixty-six, c. 1885 by English Photographer")
 at the age of sixty-six c1885 - (MeisterDrucke-96006).jpg)
.jpg "Horse-drawn Carriage Outside 24 Gloucester Square, Hyde Park, London, c. 1890 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "King George V having lunch in the Chitwan Valley during a tiger shoot, 1911 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 wearing an overcoat with a fur collar bought for his trip to America 1881 - (MeisterDrucke-43075).jpg "Portrait of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) wearing an overcoat with a fur collar bought for his trip to America, 1881 by English Photographer")
 wearing an overcoat with a fur collar bought for his trip to America 1881 - (MeisterDrucke-43075).jpg)
.jpg "Frank Hurley, c.1914 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Cheops - The Great Pyramid, c.1904-05 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Titanics propellers in the Thompson Graving Dock of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Ireland, 1910-11 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Wallis Simpson, 1936 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Haworth Parsonage, home to the Bronte family by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Titanic ready for her maiden voyage, 02 April 1912 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "RMS Titanic nearing launch, 05 January 1911 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Anna Pavlova with her pet swan Jack by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Suffragette, 1913 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Alfred de Rothschild, c.1860s by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Nelson")
.jpg)
.jpg "Winston S. Churchill by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Rosendale Road School: cricket team by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Four of the five sons of King George V, from left to right, Prince George, Duke of Kent, King Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, Prince Albert, Duke of York, later King George VI, Prince Henry, Duke by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-325901).jpg "John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) by English Photographer")
 - (MeisterDrucke-325901).jpg)
 (marble) - (MeisterDrucke-326321).jpg "Bust of Marcus Aurelius (121-80 AD) by English Photographer")
 (marble) - (MeisterDrucke-326321).jpg)
.jpg "The Cairo Conference, 1921 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Big Three at the Yalta Conference. Prime Minister Churchill, President Roosevelt, and Generalissimus Stalin, February 1945 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Man smoking opium, from Illustrations of China and its People by J. Thompson, published in London, 1873 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "View of the Pyramids, Egypt, 1893 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Indian Tour - King Edward VIII Tiger Shooting in Nepal, 1921 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "RMS Titanic being moved out of drydock to allow her sister ship, RMS Olympic, to have a propeller replaced, March 6, 1912 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "RMS Titanic departing from Southampton on her maiden voyage, April 5, 1912 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Major General Sir Luke OConnor VC, 1910 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Alice Keppel with her daughter Violet Trefusius, 1905 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Pasta drying in the streets, Naples, 1897 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 The authorised Diamond Jubilee photograph 1897 - (MeisterDrucke-63639).jpg "Queen Victoria (1819-1901), the authorised Diamond Jubilee photograph, 1897 by English Photographer")
 The authorised Diamond Jubilee photograph 1897 - (MeisterDrucke-63639).jpg)
.jpg "Jennie Jerome, later Lady Randolph Churchill, with her mother and sisters by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 c1899 (black and white photograph) - (MeisterDrucke-39442).jpg "Queen Victoria (1819-1901), c. 1899 by English Photographer")
 c1899 (black and white photograph) - (MeisterDrucke-39442).jpg)
_1854_(albumen_print)_-_(MeisterDrucke-102464).jpg "Portrait of Harriet Jane Moore (1801-84), 1854 by English Photographer")
_1854_(albumen_print)_-_(MeisterDrucke-102464).jpg)
.jpg "Scene from a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) at the St. James")
.jpg)
.jpg "Moormi Group, Tibetans, Nepal, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Advance, Britannia! Long live the cause of Freedom! God save the King!: Mr. Winston Churchill seated at the microphone on VE Day, when he announced to the nation that the war with Germany was at an by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "English International Football Team, 2nd January 1892 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-34617).jpg "A sewing party at the Embassy in Russia during WWI, c.1916 by English Photographer")
 - (MeisterDrucke-34617).jpg)
.jpg "The starboard side of the gunboat \"Delta\" moored in the River Tyne, c.1876 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Arthur Lee and Miss Faith Moore, American sisters, wearing dresses for presentation at the court of Edward VII, c. 1905 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Virginia Woolf, with her mother Julia, 1884 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "London Fire Brigade: group of firemen, with engine and turncocks, 1895 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Government in Crisis: forming a National Cabinet as requested by King George V (pictured in the garden at No 10 Downing Street), 1931 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The King of Montenegro with a Turkish flag, Cetinje, Montenegro, 1913 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Nelson")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1538619).jpg "Village inside Purana Qila, View around Sher Mandal, ca. 1908-1911 by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1538619).jpg)
.jpg "C. W. Alcock, from Famous Cricketers and Cricket Grounds, published by Hudson and Kearns, 1895 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "League of Nations - first meeting in London, 1920, Mr. A. J. Balfour speaking as Lord President of the Council by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "A bargee and friends playing dominoes in the hold of a barge, London by English Photographer")
.jpg)
![Gen. Sir James Willcocks and his personal staff in the garden at his headquarters [Merville, France]. 31 July 1915 by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/300px/English_Photographer_-_Gen_Sir_James_Willcocks_and_his_personal_staff_in_the_garden_at_his_headquarters_-_(MeisterDrucke-1407681).jpg "Gen. Sir James Willcocks and his personal staff in the garden at his headquarters [Merville, France]. 31 July 1915 by English Photographer")
![Gen. Sir James Willcocks and his personal staff in the garden at his headquarters [Merville, France]. 31 July 1915 by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/400w/English_Photographer_-_Gen_Sir_James_Willcocks_and_his_personal_staff_in_the_garden_at_his_headquarters_-_(MeisterDrucke-1407681).jpg)
.jpg "Garstang recording excavated Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) store rooms by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Photograph of Alistair Graham Naked, Kept with His Letter to Evelyn Waugh by English Photographer")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-920866).jpg "Corner of Chase Side and Chase Green Avenue, c.1890 by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-920866).jpg)
_c1880s_-_(MeisterDrucke-335071).jpg "Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne by English Photographer")
_c1880s_-_(MeisterDrucke-335071).jpg)
.jpg "Cole National Dance, Chota Nagpoor, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "King Nicholas I of Montenegro, from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Welsh International Football Team, 2nd January 1892 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Maureen O")
.jpg)
.jpg "Shows a portion of my company on parade at Shusha - Libyan Desert, 6:30am, September 1916 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Indian Tents, photographed by the Royal Engineers on the Forty-Ninth Parallel by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "National Theatre in Prague, published c.1890 - 1900 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Under Nelson")
.jpg)
_(bw_photo)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1105306).jpg "A Characteristic Snap-Shot of the Late Dr Barnado (1845-1905) by English Photographer")
_(bw_photo)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1105306).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-920623).jpg "Edward A. Wilson, c.1910 by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-920623).jpg)
.jpg "Circus Performers by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Miss. Billington Finding Her Card, from an article entitled The Reassembling of Parliament published in The Graphic, October 27th 1906 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Model Yacht Race, Alexandra Palace, illustration from German Prisoners in Great Britain by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Women queue at a fruit and veg stall in London, June 1947 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The National Antarctic Expedition Relief Ship, illustration from The Graphic, July 19th 1902 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Bustee, Hindu, Hissar, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The King Making His Appeal for Peace to the People of Ireland in the City Hall, illustration from")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-333184).jpg "Construction, International Exhibition, 1862 by English Photographer")
 - (MeisterDrucke-333184).jpg)
.jpg "Millbank Prison: chapel through archway by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Charwoman and The Flower-Girl, illustrations from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Goojur Zemindars, Hindoos, Rajpootana, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-36191).jpg "William Lashly, from")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-36191).jpg)
.jpg "Jacquard weavers, Carpet Trade, 1923 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "View down Oxford Street, London, c.1890 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Naval airship coming down to her mooring on the after deck of H.M.S. Furious, 1914-19 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Illustration from The Illustrated War News, 25th October 1916 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-37900).jpg "Fanny Stevenson, wife of Robert Louis Stevenson by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-37900).jpg)
.jpg "Some of the 29th Division at the memorial near Beaumont Hamel, 7th June 1925 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Turkey Weaving, Hughes Factory No. 2, 1923 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Jacquard Weaving, Hughes Factory No. 2, 1923 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Some of the sights that liven London Streets, illustrations from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Chatting after a luncheon party at the House of Commons: Mr. Churchill and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, 1919 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Winding Room, Hughes Factory No. 2, 1923 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Queen Victoria Holding King Edward VIII at His Christening on July 16th, 1894 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-329972).jpg "The North Theatre, St. Thomas Hospital, 1908 by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-329972).jpg)
.jpg "Albert Chevalier by English Photographer")
.jpg)
 plant 1923 - (MeisterDrucke-331150).jpg "Winding and Chilling (Hosiery) Plant, 1923 by English Photographer")
 plant 1923 - (MeisterDrucke-331150).jpg)
.jpg "River Aire Viewed from the Dark Arches, Leeds, 1951 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Tapestry Weaving, Hughes Factory No. 2 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
![Kinchinjunga from the hill near the Town Hall, [Darjeeling] from](/kunstwerke/300px/English_Photographer_-_Kinchinjunga_from_the_hill_near_the_Town_Hall_Darjeeling_from_Views_of_Darjeelin_-_(MeisterDrucke-1352175).jpg "Kinchinjunga from the hill near the Town Hall, [Darjeeling] from")
![Kinchinjunga from the hill near the Town Hall, [Darjeeling] from](/kunstwerke/400w/English_Photographer_-_Kinchinjunga_from_the_hill_near_the_Town_Hall_Darjeeling_from_Views_of_Darjeelin_-_(MeisterDrucke-1352175).jpg)
.jpg "Waiting to Enter the Newly Discovered Chamber of Wonders (L to R) Howard Carter, Mrs Arthur Merton, Lady Allenby (seated) and Lord Carnarvon from The Illustrated London News, 16 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "Guddees, Mussulmans, Rajpootana, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
.jpg "East India Dock Road: temporary archway, Victoria Diamond Jubilee, 1897 by English Photographer")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-330827).jpg "The Mansion House, official residence of the Lord Mayor of London by English Photographer")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-330827).jpg)
.jpg "A Ladies Red Cross Sewing Meeting in Claridge")
.jpg)
+43 4257 29415
support@meisterdrucke.com
Mo-Do: 7:00 - 16:00 | Fr: 7:00 - 13:00
