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 55 Collections and/or Records:
Rock tombs and Belzoni's Pyramid, Gizeh [Giza], 1857
230 x 156 mm. A view showing the entrance to a rock tomb in the foreground with a European and two Arabs encamped beside the cave. In the background stands Belzoni's pyramid, the second largest of the pyramids of Gizeh which was entered by Belzoni in 1816.
Ruined mosque near Philae, 1857
230 x 162 mm. A landscape view of the ruined mosque and its tower in the foreground, the Nile beyond and the Island of Philae in the distance. This view was taken near the village of Mishdd. In his commentary, Frith states: 'The picture being almost an instantaneous one, the waves or ripples upon the river re preserved, although perhaps somewhat at the expense of the deeper shadows.
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.
Sculptures from the outer wall, Dendera, 1857
231 x 160 mm. A view showing a wall of finely carved hieroglyphics on the exterior wall of the temple of Hat-Hor at Dendera. It was from this temple that S.L. Saulnier and J.B. Lelorrain looted the famous zodiac of Dendera.
Sinai and Palestine - Frith, 1860
An album of photographs of scenes within Sinai and Palestine.
Sinaitic inscriptions in Wadee El-Mukattab, 1860
228 x 157 mm. A close up showing inscriptions carved in a rockface at Wadee El-Mukattab.
South edge of the Island of Philae, 1857
235 x 156 mm. A view looking across the Nile towards the riverwall and temples of Philae. Visible behind the wall are part of Pharaoh's Bed and the pylon gateways of the Great Temple.
Temple of Goorneh, Nubia, 1857
229 x 153 mm. A view showing the low pillared facade of the temple, which, according to Frith is: 'exteriorly, one of the least imposing of the ruins of Thebes', with two Arabs standing among the sandy rubble in the foreground.
The approach to Philae, 1857
The broken obelisk, Karnac, 1857
226 x 160 mm. A view showing a European and two Arabs standing among the ruins of Kamac in front of the fallen obelisk. IN the background stand the Hall of Columns and another obelisk.
The colonnade, Island of Philae, 1857
226 x 155mm. A view looking south along the colonnade on the western side of the island which leads to the Great Temple, with the Nile beyond and the granite formations on the Island of Biggeh in the background.
The Convent of Sinai and Plain of Er-Raha, 1860
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 granite pylon, Thebes, 1857
225 x 160 mm. A view showing the ruins of a gateway at Karnac built from large blocks of granite. Frith compares these ruins to the gateway seen in Y30214A/25: '... the present view represents an older, more massive, but less elegant and less elaborately sculptured, edifice which I have called the Granite Pylon, in consequence of its being, as I believe, the only existing extensive pylon-gateway constructed solely of that material.'
The great pylon at Edfou, Upper Egypt, 1857
232 x 163 mm. A view showing the massive entrance to the temple of Horus at Edfu, with a group of Europeans standing at the base of the pylon on which are sculpted various scenes. The drifting sand, which in this print reaches to the top of the wall behind the pylon on which are sculpted various scenes, has subsequently been removed to leave a temple in a remarkable state of preservation.
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.
The Sphynx and Great Pyramid, Gezeh [i.e. Giza], 1857
229 x 157 mm. A composition showing a profile of the Sphinx's head in the foreground with the pyramid beyond, and figures at the foot of the Spinx. According to Frith: 'The profile, as given in my view, is truly hideous'. This viewpoint occurs again and again in photographs of Gizeh pyramids, but it is interesting in that, when compared with a modern photograph of the same scene, it shows the degree of excavation that has been carried out in the area of the Sphinx.
The statue of Memnon, Plain of Thebes, 1857
232 x 155 mm. A view showing the two vast seated statues of Amenophis III which were erected in front of the mortuary temple, now disappeared. In the foreground are two Europeans and an Egyptian. The central figure (leaning on a rifle) is identified in 'Creative Camera' (December 1979) in a similar, though not identical view, as being Frith himself.
The statues of Memnon, plain of Thebes, 1857
150 x 224 mm. A view showing a close up of the statues in a vertical formal. There is an European holding a rifle, and a camel, standing in the foreground.
The summit of Gebel Moosa, Sinai, 1860
The temple of Maharraka, Nubia, 1857
227 x 155 mm. A view showing the imposing columns and ruins of the unfinished temple of Maharraka.
The temple palace, Medinet Haboo [Habu], 1857
233 x 156 mm. A view showing the ruins of the Palace of Rameses II at Medinet Haboo with an Arab and his horse standing in the courtyard in the foreground.
The Wadee El-Mukattab, Sinai, 1860
Valley of the Tombs of the Kings, 1857
View at Girgeh [Jirja], Upper Egypt, 1857
154 x 226 mm. A view looking towards the Nile with the tower of a ruined mosque standing on the banks and balanced in the composition by two palm trees in the foreground. Frith states that there are also huts in the foreground which were: 'composed of Doura straw, and are the temporary portable homes a troupe of Gawazee, or dancing girls.'
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Egypt (nation) 35
- Upper Egypt (region) 35
- Qina (governate) 21
- Egypt (former nation/state/empire) 20
- Thebes (deserted settlement) 18
- Aswan (governorate) 11
- Nile River (river) 11
- Philae (deserted settlement) 10
- Desert (region) 8
- Nubia (general region) 7
- Janub Sina' (governate) 6
- Sinai (peninsula) 5
- Medinet Habu (ruins) 4
- Asia (continent) 3
- Israel (nation) 3
- Lebanon (nation) 3
- Syria (nation) 3
- Armant (inhabited place) 2
- Dead Sea (salt lake) 2
- Luxor (inhabited place) 2
- Matruh (governate) 2
- Palestine (historic region) 2
- Pyramids of Giza (ruins) 2
- Upper East (region) 2
- West Bank (occupied territory) 2
- Abai (state) 1
- Aswan (inhabited place) 1
- Gaza Strip (occupied territory) 1
- Jirja (inhabited place) 1
- Kings, Valley of the (burial site) 1
- Musa, Gebel (mountain) 1
- Sawhaj (governorate) 1 + ∧ less