Photography Collections Database
Record Detail
Call Number: |
PH-00030 |
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Collection Name: |
Maull & Polyblank Photography Collection |
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Creator: |
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No. of Items: |
163 items |
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Span Dates: |
1854—1865 |
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Description: |
The collection consists of 163 albumen prints by Maull & Polyblank (British, active 1854—1865). Maull & Polyblank specialized in producing studio portraits of individuals of notable status, including politicians, scientists, and religious figures. Their subjects, primarily men, make up two key series: Photographic Portraits of Living Celebrities (33 albumen prints) and Literary and Scientific Portrait Club (99 albumen prints). While typically mounted on white paper, there are 20 albumen prints mounted on light blue paper that potentially belong to a disbound album. Additionally, there are 11 albumen prints that do not belong to a specific series. Photographic Portraits of Living Celebrities: 33 albumen prints in collection. Each installment included a biographical wrapper authored initially by Herbert Fry, and later by Edward Walford. Monthly installments comprising one portrait and a letterpress biography were available for purchase by the public for 5 shillings (5s.). Advertisements promoting the publication, highlighting both past and upcoming installments, were featured in the newspaper Notes and Queries. A prevalent practice in the 1850s and 1860s was to collect these portraits and their corresponding biographical wrappers, which would then be bound together as a complete album at the end of the series’ run. The serialized publication was subsequently offered as a single volume, published in 1859. Literary and Scientific Portrait Club: 99 albumen prints in collection. The series featured photographic portraits of club members, predominantly men engaged in professions within the realm of literature and science. Club members were obliged to have their photograph taken by Maull & Polyblank, at a cost of ten shillings and six pence (10s. 6p.). In return, they received a copy of the photograph for themselves and the option to purchase copies of portraits of other club members for three shillings (3s.) each. Members of the club were often fellows of learned societies, notably the Royal Society (FRS), the Linnean Society of London (FLS), the Geological Society (FGS), the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), and the Royal Chemical Society (RSC). Due to extensive membership, no complete set exists, resulting in numerous versions of the series in circulation. These versions were originally collected as individual portraits and/or compiled into albums. Variants of the series can be found in the archives of the Linnean Society of London, as well as the National Portrait Gallery. Portraits of prominent club members were also featured in the serialized publication Photographic Portraits of Living Celebrities, issued between 1856 and 1859. Additional Groupings: 31 albumen prints in collection. |
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Location(s): |
Maull & Polyblank Box 1 (964:0637:0001-0023) Maull & Polyblank Box 2 (964:0637:0024-0050) Maull & Polyblank Box 3 (964:0637:0051-0075) Maull & Polyblank Box 4 (964:0637:0076-0100) Maull & Polyblank Box 6 (964:0637:0125-0139, 0153) Maull & Polyblank Box 5 (964:0637:0101-0124) Maull & Polyblank Box 7 (964:0637:0140-0152) |
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Item(s): |
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See Also: |
5 cartes in the Card Photograph Format Collection (964:0074:0031, 0086, 0101, 0215 ; 964:0076:0344) 11 prints in Photographic portraits of living celebrities. London: Maull and Polyblank, 1856 and following. q TR 681 F3 M285 HRC-P 6 prints in DodgsonÕs Professional and other Photographs. f TR 655.11 D637 HRC-P [Brown morocco carte album] (a.k.a., Album 4 or carte album 4) (964:0433:0015) f TR 655.11 C367 HRC-P [Family album of the Earl of Kimberley] (964:0460:0038) f TR 655.11 K5631 HRC-P 4 cartes in [Red morocco album with gilt clasps : containing 100 cartes of royalty, politicians, and famous English and French personalities, collected by H.G.] (964:0461:0063, 0069, 0071, 0082) f TR 655.11 C776 HRC-P [Oblong Brown Album: containing cartes from the 1860s of famous personalities] (964:0462:0018, 0024, 0053) f TR 655.11 C528 HRC-P [Brown morocco album of 84 portraits of famous personalities] (964:0463:0034) f TR 655.11 C523 HRC-P [Photograph album with musical box ... filled with cartes-de-visite of the period] (964:0467:0024) f TR 655.11 C527 HRC-P [Album of 100 cartes-de-visite: Album of the Earl of Kimberley] (964:0668:0051) f TR 655.11 K563 HRC-P |
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