Frith, Francis, 1822 -1898 (photographer)
Biography
Francis Frith was born on December 7th 1822 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, to a Quaker family (Sackett 1994). He was educated at Ackworth School and Quaker Camp Hill School in Birmingham (Browne and Partnow 1983, p.212). After serving an apprenticeship with a Sheffield cutlery firm, he began a wholesale grocery firm, Liverpool, and later a printing firm (Sackett 1994). He took up photography in 1850 and in the mid-1850s retired from his successful business career. In 1853 he was one of the founders of the Liverpool Photographic Society (Turner 1995, p794). He made his first photographic visit to Egypt in 1856-57. He travelled on the Nile and photographed from Cairo to Abu Simbel. On his return he published a series of views which were enthusiastically received. He made a second trip with his assistant Frank Mason Good in late 1857. A third photographic trip was made in 1859 when Frith travelled beyond the Sixth Cataract. On his return from this third trip Frith set up as a photographer and publisher. His company produced a detailed record of English villages and towns, eventually becoming the largest mass production company in Europe. For a list of Frith photographic publications see: Gernsheim, Helmut (1984), 'Incunabula of British photographic literature : a bibliography of British books illustrated with original photographs'. London: Scolar in association with Derbyshire College of Higher Education.
In 1860 Frith married Mary Ann Rosling. They had five sons and three daughters. Frith died on February 25th 1898. His sons Eustace and Cyril continued the business (Sackett 1994). The firm survived until the 1960s.
Sources:
Browne, Turner and Partnow, Elaine (1983), 'Macmillian biographical encyclopedia of photographic artists and innovators'. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Sackett, Terrance R. (1993) 'Francis Frith'. In: Dictionary of National Biography [CD-ROM]. [S.l.]: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Turner, Jane ed. (1996), 'The dictionary of art'. Volume 11. New York: Grove.
Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:
Hall of columns, Karnac, 1857
228 x 160 mm. A view showing the closely built pillars of the great hall at Karnac (the Hypostele Hall of Sethy I and Rameses II) with piles of debris and stone in the foreground. Frith comments of his photograph: 'I am even ashamed of my view, it is so thoroughly inadequate to the subject.'
Interior court of Medinet Haboo [Habu], Thebes, 1857
232 x 162 mm. A view showing one of the inner temple courtyards with sculptured hieroglyphic inscriptions on the supporting pillars. In the courtyard itself lie fallen columns.
Obelisk and granite Lotus Column, Karnac, 1857
155 x 231 mm. A view showing the obelisk, which is , according to Frith: 'the most beautiful in Egypt', and the broken Lotus Column, which is, again according to Frith: 'an exquisite piece of work', standing among the ruins of Karnac.
Osiride Pillars and great fallen Colossus, the Memnonium, Thebes, 1857
238 x 161 mm. A view showing the row of Osiride pillars with the overturned colossal bust of Rameses II lying face down in the sand. In the foreground stands a group of Europeans, one of whom lies on the shoulders of the Colossus. It was from the Memnonium (more properly the Ramesseum) that Belzoni in 1816 took the other colossal statue, the 'young Memnon', now in the British Museum.
Pillars in the great hall, Karnac, 1857
221 x 163 mm. A view showing the densely packed columns of the great hall sculptured with hieroglyphics and with an Arab standing in the foreground. Frith comments: 'The effect which the builders appear to have had in view in this remarkable crowding together of enormous columns, is the combined impression of vastness and power - almost of awe - which they produce upon the mind when standing amongst them; and nowhere is this effect attained so perfectly as at Karnac.'
Portico of the temple, Dendera, 1857
233 x 153 mm. The wrong photograph has been mounted here, this view being a copy of Y30214A/34 and showing the interior courtyard of Medinet Haboo (Habu).
Sculptured gateway, etc, Karnac, 1857
231 x 161 mm. A view showing one of the entrance gateways o Karnac at the end of the avenue of recumbent sphinxes, one of which (headless) can be seen in the foreground. The gateway itself is richly sculptured with hieroglyphics. Technically, a fine print, with full detail in the shadows of the gateway.
The court of Shishak, Karnac, 1857
159 x 223 mm. A view showing the remains of part of the temple of Amon at Karnac with painted hieroglyphs on the standing walls and fallen pillars and debris littering the foreground.
The Memnonium, Thebes, 1857
225 x 157 mm. A view showing two of the still standing halls of the Memnonium (more properly the Ramesseum) with an Egyptian and a camel in the foreground.
View at Karnac from the granite pylon, 1857
227 x 156 mm. A view looking from the granite pylon over the tumbled ruins of Karnac towards two distant obelisks (?obelisks of Thut-mose I and Queen Hat-shepsut).
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Medinet Habu (ruins) 2