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 62 Collections and/or Records:
Jerusalem, from the Well of En-Rogel, 1857
229 x 159 mm. A view from the junction of the valley of Jehoshapat and the valley of Hinnom, showing the Well of En-Rogel (enclosed in a vaulted stone building) in the foreground with the City of Jerusalem visible on the hillside beyond. The surrounding landscape is rock-strewn hillside with an (?) olive grove in the middle distance.
Nablous, the ancient Shechem, 1860
216 x 165 mm. A view looking over the rooftops of Nablous, a town of white houses surrounded by tree-covered hills.
Nablous, the ancient Shechem, 1857
220 x 157 mm. A view looking over the rooftops of Nablous, a town of white houses surrounded by tree-covered hills. According to Frith: 'Sichem ... Is to this day a pleasing proof of the good taste and sound judgement of those venerable patriarchs [Abraham and Jacob] in matters residential and agricultural.'
Nazareth, from the north-west, 1860
230 x 158 mm. A view looking over the houses of Nazareth with cactus bushes in the foreground and hills in the background.Y30214A/7 is also given the same caption, but the two photographs are taken from diametrically opposed view points; which is correct has not been determined.
Nazareth, from the north-west, 1857
224 x 150 mm. A view looking over the small square houses of Nazareth perched on a hillside with hills and enclosed fields beyond the village. Y30214C/28 is also given the same caption but the two photographs are taken from diametrically opposed view points; which is correct has not been determined.
Portion of the Great Temple (the Government corn stores), 1857
235 x 165 mm. A view showing some of the standing pillars of the Great Temple with a large pile of corn in the background and various winnowing boxes scattered around.
Ramleh [Ramla], 1857
234 x 162 mm. A view looking towards the town of Ramleh with ruined archways in the foreground. Frith describes it in his commentary as: 'a good and thoroughly oriental town, familiar to all travellers in Palestine.' On the skyline stands a mosque, formerly (according to Frith) the Church of St. John.
Samson's Gate, Gaza, 1860
224 x 159 mm. A view on the outskirts of Gaza showing in the foreground the bases of the gates supposedly carried off by Samson.
Sinai and Palestine - Frith, 1860
An album of photographs of scenes within Sinai and Palestine.
St. Paul's wall, Damascus, 1860
Street view with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 1860
The Circular Temple, Baalbec [Ba`labakk], 1857
The circular temple, Baalbec [Ba`labakk], 1860
225 x 155 mm. A view looking towards the small circular temple at Ba'labakk.
The great pillars and smaller temple, Baalbec [Ba`labakk], 1860
162 x 227 mm. A view showing five of the pillars of the Great Temple with the smaller temple visible beyond.
The great pillars and smaller temple, Baalbec [Ba`labakk], 1857
161 x 234 mm. A view showing five of the pillars of the Great Temple with the smaller temple visible beyond.
The great pillars, etc, Baalbec [Ba`labakk], 1857
156 x 223 mm. A view showing the six remaining columns of the Great Temple standing among the ruins.
The largest of the Cedars, Mount Lebanon, 1857
233 x 164 mm. A view showing an ancient Cedar, which Frith describes as : 'many-stemmed, fantastic, wide-spreading giant', in a grove of younger trees.
The largest of the Cedars, Mount Lebanon, 1860
227 x 158 mm. A view showing an ancient Cedar tree.
The mosque of Aksa, Jerusalem, 1860
227 x 160 mm. A view looking along the city wall at the southern end of the city towards the mosque of Aksa, with the valley of Jehoshaphat and the Mount of Olives in the distance.
The mosque of Omar, etc, Jerusalem, 1857
233 x 165 mm. A view taken from near St. Stevens gate looking towards the pool of Bethesda, the mosque of Omar and Aksa (partially obscured by smoke from a chimney in the foreground) and with the houses of the modern city on the right.
The Mosque of Omar, etc, Jerusalem, 1860
219 x 159 mm. A view looking along the city wall towards the dome of the mosque of Omar and 'El Haram-esh-Sherif', the Holy Sanctuary, with the houses of the city beyond. With wasteland and cactus in the left foreground.
The New English Church etc. from the Tower of Hippicus, Jerusalem, 1857
The north shore of the Dead Sea, 1857
228 x 152 mm. A view looking along the shore of the sea with dead vegetation littering the beach.
The north shore of the Dead Sea, 1860
220 x 158 mm. A fine landscape photograph looking along the barren shores of the Dead Sea with bleached driftwood in the foreground and hills in the distance.
The Pool of Bethesda, 1860
231 x 162 mm. A view taken from near St. Stevens gate looking towards the pool of Bethesda, the mosque of Omar and Aksa (partially obscured by smoke from a chimney in the foreground) and with the houses of the modern city on the right.
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Israel (nation) 45
- Jerusalem (district (national)) 25
- Lebanon (nation) 13
- Jerusalem (inhabited place) 10
- Syria (nation) 10
- Palestine (historic region) 9
- Al-Biqa` (governorate) 8
- Ba`labakk (inhabited place) 8
- West Bank (occupied territory) 8
- Northern (district (national)) 6
- Damascus (inhabited place) 5
- Dimashq (governorate) 5
- Dimashq City (municipality) 5
- Dead Sea (salt lake) 4
- Sea of Galilee (lake) 4
- Africa (continent) 3
- Egypt (nation) 3
- Gaza Strip (occupied territory) 3
- Hebron (inhabited place) 3
- Al-Qunaytirah (governate) 2
- Baniyas (inhabited place) 2
- Gaza City (inhabited place) 2
- Golan Heights (annex) 2
- Jhansi (inhabited place) 2
- Nazareth (inhabited place) 2
- Shechem (deserted settlement) 2
- Bethlehem (inhabited place) 1
- HaMerkaz, Mehoz (district (national)) 1
- Ramla (inhabited place) 1 + ∧ less