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.
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 at the age of sixty-six c1885 - (MeisterDrucke-96006).jpg "Queen Victoria at the Age of Sixty-Six by English Photographer")
 at the age of sixty-six c1885 - (MeisterDrucke-96006).jpg)
.jpg "Horse-drawn Carriage Outside 24 Gloucester Square, Hyde Park, London by English Photographer")
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.jpg "King George V having lunch in the Chitwan Valley during a Tiger Shoot, 1911 by English Photographer")
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.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")
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.jpg "The Big Three at the Yalta Conference: Prime Minister Churchill, President Roosevelt, and Generalissimus Stalin, February 1945 by English Photographer")
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 (marble) - (MeisterDrucke-326321).jpg "Bust of Marcus Aurelius by English Photographer")
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 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)
 - (MeisterDrucke-325901).jpg "John Boyd Dunlop by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Cairo Conference, 1921 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Man smoking opium, from Illustrations of China and its people by J. Thompson by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Sphinx and the Pyramid of Cheops - The Great Pyramid, c.1904-05 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "View of the Pyramids, Egypt, 1893 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Indian Tour - King Edward VIII Tiger Shooting in Nepal, 1921 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "RMS Titanic departing from Southampton on her maiden voyage, April 5, 1912 by English Photographer")
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.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")
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.jpg "Major General Sir Luke O")
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.jpg "Alice Keppel with Her Daughter Violet Trefusius, 1905 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Haworth Parsonage, home to the Bronte family by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Alfred de Rothschild, c.1860s by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Anna Pavlova with her pet swan Jack by English Photographer")
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.jpg "RMS Titanic nearing launch, 05 January 1911 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Nelson")
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.jpg "Rosendale Road School: cricket team by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Pasta drying in the streets, Naples, 1897 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Suffragette, 1913 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Titanic ready for her maiden voyage, 02 April 1912 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Winston S. Churchill by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Titanics propellers in the Thompson Graving Dock of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Ireland, 1910-11 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Frank Hurley by English Photographer")
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_President_Truman_(1884-1972)_and_Joseph_Stalin_(18_-_(MeisterDrucke-1082711).jpg "Winston Churchill, President Truman, and Joseph Stalin shaking hands at the Potsdam Conference, July 1945 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "William Ewart Gladstone by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Albert Chevalier by English Photographer")
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.jpg "King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II discussing operation orders in Germany in 1913, illustration from")
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![[Japanese] Girls bathing, Studio tableau of three half-naked young Japanese women, posed in and around a circular wooden bath tub by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/300px/English_Photographer_-_Japanese_Girls_bathing_Studio_tableau_of_three_half-naked_young_Japanese_women_p_-_(MeisterDrucke-1351761).jpg "[Japanese] Girls bathing, Studio tableau of three half-naked young Japanese women, posed in and around a circular wooden bath tub by English Photographer")
![[Japanese] Girls bathing, Studio tableau of three half-naked young Japanese women, posed in and around a circular wooden bath tub by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/400w/English_Photographer_-_Japanese_Girls_bathing_Studio_tableau_of_three_half-naked_young_Japanese_women_p_-_(MeisterDrucke-1351761).jpg)
.jpg "Yard No. 647, Baikal. Ice-Breaking Train Ferry Steamer Baikal Ready for Launch into Lake Baikal by English Photographer")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1087699).jpg "The Yalta Conference, February 1945 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Investiture of the Maharana of Udaipur with the Star of India by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Arrest of Mrs Pankhurst, Miss Pankhurst and Mrs Drummond. Mr. Jarvis reading the warrant at Clements Inn, October 13, 1908 by English Photographer")
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 c1899 (black and white photograph) - (MeisterDrucke-39442).jpg "Queen Victoria (1819-1901) c.1899 by English Photographer")
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 as a young man on board a ship - (MeisterDrucke-326131).jpg "Winston Churchill (1874-1965) as a young man on board a ship by English Photographer")
 as a young man on board a ship - (MeisterDrucke-326131).jpg)
.jpg "Leopold de Rothschild, c.1860s by English Photographer")
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![[Japanese] Girls bathing, Half-length right profile portrait of a naked young woman by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/300px/English_Photographer_-_Japanese_Girls_bathing_Half-length_right_profile_portrait_of_a_naked_young_woman_-_(MeisterDrucke-1351762).jpg "[Japanese] Girls bathing, Half-length right profile portrait of a naked young woman by English Photographer")
![[Japanese] Girls bathing, Half-length right profile portrait of a naked young woman by English Photographer](/kunstwerke/400w/English_Photographer_-_Japanese_Girls_bathing_Half-length_right_profile_portrait_of_a_naked_young_woman_-_(MeisterDrucke-1351762).jpg)
.jpg "The Marchioness of Hastings, c.1860s-70s by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The starboard side of the gunboat Delta moored in the River Tyne, c.1876 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Shoreditch High Street: looking north, 1896 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "St Thomas Hospital: temporary ward in Surrey Gardens Music Hall by English Photographer")
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.jpg "RMS Titanic Launched: Titanic afloat for the first time, but without engines, boilers, machinery and fittings, 31 May 1911 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Bootmaker J. H. Cope, late 19th century by English Photographer")
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 being driven through central Lond - (MeisterDrucke-326912).jpg "Queen Victoria (1819-1901) being driven through central London during her Golden Jubilee celebrations, 1887 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "An omnibus, c.1910, from The Story of Twenty Five Years, published 1935 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Lord Henry Rawlinson with Sikh Officers and Captured Burmese Tribesmen by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Arthur Henry Rostron, Captain of RMS Carpathia, Lord Mersey, and Edward John Smith, Captain of the Titanic by English Photographer")
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.jpg "J.J. Ferris, from Famous Cricketers and Cricket Grounds, Published by Hudson and Kearns, 1895 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "View down Oxford Street, London, c.1890 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Blackwall Tunnel: Pageantry as the Prince of Wales, Later King Edward VII, and Princess Alexandra Attend the Ceremonial Opening of the Tunnel, 1897 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "A Tank Leads the Infantry into Action and Breaks Down the Wire Entanglements by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Women working in a factory by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Mahatma Gandhi arrives in London, England in 1931 with his disciple, Madeleine Slade, and his two goats, from The Story of Twenty Five Years, published 1935 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Queen Victoria, Empress of India and Abdul Karim The Munshi, c.1894 by English Photographer")
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 Scottish physici - (MeisterDrucke-603495).jpg "Portrait of James Clerk Maxwell by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Zazel, First Human Cannonball, 1877 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Garstang recording excavated Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) store rooms by English Photographer")
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.jpg "O")
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.jpg "Edward John Smith, ships captain of the Titanic by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Square, Kelso, August 21, 1867 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Lord Alfred Douglas, at the age of Twenty-One, at Oxford, 1891 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The Martin Brothers in the Studio at the Southall Pottery by English Photographer")
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.jpg "RMS Titanic of the White Star Line by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Rosendale Road School: football team by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Tinned foods aisle, Woolworths store, 1956 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "The River Thames during")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-325747).jpg "Geishas Bathing, c.1880s by English Photographer")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-42776).jpg "Marie Lloyd by English Photographer")
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.jpg "A cafe waitress, wearing the same uniform as a parlour maid, serving coffee to office workers during their 11 o")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-326093).jpg "Neville Chamberlain by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Queen Victoria Holding King Edward VIII at His Christening on July 16th, 1894 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Omnibus Driver by English Photographer")
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.jpg "RMS Aquitania by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Pilot of the Battle-Plane Which Brought Down Immelmann: Lieut. McCubbin in Hospital by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Charing Cross, Westminster: Northumberland Avenue from Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross, 1890 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Hare Street: opening of Woolwich ferry, 1889 by English Photographer")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-114811).jpg "Sir Max Pemberton (1874-1950) by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Horse-drawn Coach Outside a Neo-Gothic Stately Home, c.1870-90 by English Photographer")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1002659).jpg "Portrait of Prince Albert Victor of Wales by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Tower of London: Saint John")
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.jpg "Syud Sabir Ali Shah, of Tattah, Sheea Mussulman, Sind, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "View of Barnards Inn, 1879 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Old Bull, Wandsworth High Street, 1897 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Pyramid, Egypt, 1893 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "British tank amid the ruins of Bapaume by English Photographer")
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.jpg "James Augustus Grant by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Moormi Group, Tibetans, Nipal, from The People of India, by J. Forbes Watson, published 1868 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "London Fire Brigade: group of firemen, with engine and turncocks by English Photographer")
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.jpg "King Edward VIII")
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.jpg "British Army Using Dogs to Pull a Machine Gun During World War I, from")
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.jpg "Trinidad and Tobago Exhibition, 1890 by English Photographer")
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 The authorised Diamond Jubilee photograph 1897 - (MeisterDrucke-63639).jpg "Queen Victoria The Authorised Diamond Jubilee Photograph, 1897 by English Photographer")
 The authorised Diamond Jubilee photograph 1897 - (MeisterDrucke-63639).jpg)
.jpg "The first broadcast transmitter operated in Great Britain, installed at the Marconi Works, Chelmsford, in 1919 and 1920, from The Story of Twenty Five Years, published 1935 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Queen Victoria Street, looking east from Queen Street, City of London, 1890 by English Photographer")
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.jpg "Tower of London: state prison room in Beauchamp Tower, 1895 by English Photographer")
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