Since its beginnings in the 1830s, photography has been closely connected to the people and places we look after. The collections in our care include compelling portraits revealing how life and work have changed over the years. Discover the history of portrait photography through a selection of images from these collections.
Sitting for a painted portrait was a popular thing to do for those who could afford it, but that all changed with the invention of photography as we know it. Early photographic portraits not only rivalled, and eventually replaced painted portrait miniatures, but they also made it possible for more people to be immortalised in them.
The Daguerreotype, invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851) in Paris, and William Henry Fox Talbot’s (1800–77) paper negative-to-positive calotype process, invented in England, both transformed the way we recorded and portrayed ourselves.
In 1841, Talbot patented the negative-to-positive calotype process, and this portrait is probably the earliest photographic image in our care. The very faint image of Talbot’s half-sister Caroline is a salted paper print made in the 1840s. It only recently came to light found deep in the eaves of Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire where Talbot lived from 1827.
As lighting and photographic processes became more sophisticated, studio photography continued to evolve. Staged studio portraits became a mark of social status. As in earlier studio portraits, they sometimes featured props and backdrops to suggest personal characteristics of the sitter.
Studio photography work can be found within most of the collections in our care, including Calke Abbey, The Hardmans' House, Knole and Polesden Lacey.
Chambré and his wife Margaret (1909–70) ran their commercial photography studio in the mid-20th century at their home, now known as The Hardman’s House in Liverpool. This portrait of their employee Patricia McKillon is a hand-coloured gelatin silver print. Colour was applied to their prints usually by women working from their own homes.
During the First and Second World Wars, many places now in our care were temporarily requisitioned for wartime purposes. Kingston Lacy, in Dorset, was used as an American hospital and Lanhydrock, in Cornwall, housed urban evacuees during the Blitz.
During the Second World War, millions of civilians – especially children – were evacuated from major cities to the countryside. Many evacuees spent time at places we now care for, and in our collections there are numerous pictures that capture these moments in history.
This image shows Canadian soldiers finding support and camaraderie as well as tea and pork luncheon-meat sandwiches at a Salvation Army canteen in Eastbourne, Sussex. Taken by a local photographer this photographic postcard became part of a collection left to Llanerchaeron by Pamela Muriel Ward (1908–1994).
Photography became increasingly accessible as equipment became less expensive and easier to use. This opened photography up to a broader spectrum of people, many of whom chose to take candid and informal photos of daily life.
Such photographs also help to tell stories of those who worked in the houses and gardens in our care over the last 175 years. Images of staff – gardeners, groomsmen, cooks, nannies and maids – show just how many were needed to keep everything in good working order.
The photography collections we look after contain around 550,000 items, from the early days of photography in the 1840s to the present.
We can put names to the faces of many depicted in the photographs, giving a personal insight into the history of our places.
The accomplished photographer John Wickens from Bangor achieved this orderly arrangement of workmen in the grounds of nearby Penrhyn Castle in Gwynedd. Wickens was known for his portrait photography, from local community football teams to famous dignitaries, and this photograph was possibly commissioned by George Sholto Douglas-Pennant, Lord Penrhyn (1836–1907).
From Lacock Abbey’s role in the birth of photography to the house of 20th-century photographer Edward Chambré Hardman, there are many stories to tell about the invention and development of photography at the places we look after. These include some important contributions towards photographic innovation and efforts to digitise collections for future generations.
The Yorke family at Erddig, North Wales, were enthusiastic adopters of new photographic technology and made pictures of their staff from as early as 1852. This offered a unique and valuable insight into their lives. The staff were also encouraged to collect photographs, compiling them into their own albums.
William Henry Fox Talbot, polymath and pioneer of Victorian photography, moved to Lacock Abbey in 1827. He famously created the earliest surviving photographic negative in 1835, taken of a small window in the abbey's South Gallery.
The Fox Talbot Museum is housed in Lacock’s 16th-century barn. It tells the story of the birth and early development of photography through its photographic collection.
Theresa, Lady Londonderry of Mount Stewart, was a keen photographer and took many glass-plate negatives of her home and its staff.
With the help of volunteers, the team has been cataloguing, cleaning, and digitising the negatives. The pictures have helped to shed new light on the mysterious disappearance of the Mountstewart yacht, which vanished without a trace from Strangford Lough in 1895.
When George Bernard Shaw died in November 1950, he left behind a house filled with the relics of a long and fascinating life. As well as being a writer, he was a keen photographer and left a vast photographic collection of more than 20,000 items, taken by himself and others.
Shaw's pictures are now stored at the London School of Economics, which he helped to found, where the pictures are being digitised.
The collections at Sutton Hoo include a unique set of images by amateur photographers Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff. The pictures, taken in the summer of 1939, capture the dramatic excavation of the Great Ship Burial.
Incredibly they have survived from the very earliest days of the use of colour reversal film. Over the winter of 2019–20, with help from volunteers, the team were able to digitise the collection in its entirety for the first time.
Portrait photographers Edward and Margaret Chambré Hardman had both their home and working studio at 59 Rodney Street in Liverpool. We’re working to protect thousands of early to mid-20th century photographic prints, negatives, letters and business records in the Hardman photographic collection, making them more accessible to everyone. Learn more about the cataloguing and photography conservation of the collection at Hardmans' House.
The Mander family were so enthusiastic about the new 19th-century developments in photography that they built their own darkroom.
Both Theodore and Geoffrey Mander were trained chemists, so were particularly interested in the technical side of developing photographs. Their darkroom still exists and many of their photographs are still in the collection at Wightwick Manor.
Caring for our photography collections is an ongoing task. We research, catalogue and make accessible large parts of our photography collections that remain relatively unknown.
Photographs, particularly historic photographs, are sensitive objects. Conservation work is important to ensure long-term preservation, to keep photography collections safe for years to come.
Discover more photography highlights from the collections we care for in our new book, 100 Photographs from the Collections of the National Trust. We've been able to print and produce this book thanks to our partner, CEWE.
Learn about the history of photography at the Fox Talbot Museum, with a collection spanning photographic developments up to the present day.
Discover what life was like for the Hardmans in the 1950s, with the house presented as it was during the height of this talented couple’s business. As seen on BBC Two series Hidden Treasures of the National Trust.
National Trust conservationists know a thing or two about protecting valuable items. Get some top tips to protect your precious objects.
