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 118 Collections and/or Records:
Pharaoh's Bed, Island of Philae, 1857
Pharaoh's Bed, Island of Philae, 1857
232 x 156 mm. A view from the top of the pylon of the Great Temple and the small temple called Pharaoh's Bed.
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).
Portico of the temple of Gerf Hossayn, Nubia, 1857
231 x 144 mm. A view showing part of the ruins of the temple of Gerf Hossayn, situated on a hill about 65 miles above the first cataract of the Nile.
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.
Portrait. Turkish summer costumes, 1857
143 x 182 mm. Portrait of Francis Frith seated on a sofa in Turkish costume. Frith describes the costume as consisting of: 'a vest with sleeves made of Damascus silk of some gorgeous pattern - blue or scarlet, and gold; white trousers, white or blue stockings, with red silk garters; and, for out of doors, a gown reaching to the ankles, open in front, made of the finest cashmere.'
Pylon gateway at Medinet Haboo [Habu], 1857
155 x 230 mm. A view showing the massive gateway with sculptured hieroglyphics leading to an inner courtyard at Medinet Haboo, on the western bank of the Nile at Thebes. Frith comments: 'But perhaps nothing will strike the traveller more, as he wanders through these wonderful ruins, than the succession of pylon-gateways, leading from one immense sculptured court to another. The one now represented is, I believe, the third from the entrance.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
St. Paul's wall, Damascus, 1860
Street view with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 1860
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 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 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.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 116
- Collection 2
- Subject
- Asia (continent) 64
- Africa (continent) 56
- Israel (nation) 46
- Egypt (nation) 36
- Upper Egypt (region) 35
- Jerusalem (district (national)) 25
- Qina (governate) 21
- Egypt (former nation/state/empire) 20
- Thebes (deserted settlement) 18
- Lebanon (nation) 14
- Aswan (governorate) 11
- Nile River (river) 11
- Syria (nation) 11
- Jerusalem (inhabited place) 10
- Palestine (historic region) 10
- Philae (deserted settlement) 10
- West Bank (occupied territory) 9
- Al-Biqa` (governorate) 8
- Ba`labakk (inhabited place) 8
- Desert (region) 8
- Nubia (general region) 7
- Janub Sina' (governate) 6
- Northern (district (national)) 6
- Damascus (inhabited place) 5
- Dead Sea (salt lake) 5
- Dimashq (governorate) 5
- Dimashq City (municipality) 5
- Sinai (peninsula) 5
- Gaza Strip (occupied territory) 4
- Medinet Habu (ruins) 4
- Sea of Galilee (lake) 4
- Hebron (inhabited place) 3
- Al-Qunaytirah (governate) 2
- Armant (inhabited place) 2
- Baniyas (inhabited place) 2
- Gaza City (inhabited place) 2
- Golan Heights (annex) 2
- Jhansi (inhabited place) 2
- Luxor (inhabited place) 2
- Matruh (governate) 2
- Nazareth (inhabited place) 2
- Pyramids of Giza (ruins) 2
- Shechem (deserted settlement) 2
- Upper East (region) 2
- Abai (state) 1
- Aswan (inhabited place) 1
- Bethlehem (inhabited place) 1
- HaMerkaz, Mehoz (district (national)) 1
- India (nation) 1
- Jirja (inhabited place) 1
- Kings, Valley of the (burial site) 1
- Musa, Gebel (mountain) 1
- Ramla (inhabited place) 1
- Sawhaj (governorate) 1 + ∧ less