Strangely, views of London are not that plentiful when compared with, say, Paris. They are also popular so tend to get sold quickly. TWO pages - link to page two at the bottom of this one. Some London views are in mechanically produced format and exist only in this form so we have included a few of these. Size differences are due to scanner settings.
These
are generally in some kind of order of location but the first section comprises
the fine and very important series of 'Views of London' produced in the
late 1850s by Negretti and Zambra. They are a very early attempt at instantaneous
photography. They have been attributed to various photographers and, indeed,
may be by a number of hands. Valentine Blanchard has been suggested as
a strong contender.
No 1. Bank of England.
Condition 7.
Order #401.
Price $22.
No 5. London Bridge.
Condition 8 due to processing
mark in the water on left image.
Order #402.
Price $28.
No 8. The Monument.
Condition 7/8.
Order #404.
Price $45.
No 9. Custom House.
Condition 7 (slight damage
to top of mount).
Order #405.
Price $25.
No 10. Tower of London.
Condition 7/8 (slight rust
mark on left image).
Order #406.
Price $28.
No 11. Interior of Tower of
London: The Parade.
Condition 8.
Order #407.
Price $45.
No 12. Royal Mint. Tower Hill.
Condition 8.
Order #408.
Price $22.
No 21. Temple Bar.
Condition 8.
Order #410.
Price $30.
No 36. Buckingham Palace.
Condition 7.
Order #412.
Price $25.
No 36. Buckingham Palace.
Condition 7.
Order #413.
Price $18.
Holland House
The following is extracted from Findlay Muirhead's 1927 London Guidebook
'Holland
House, residence of the Countess of Ilchester, is a beautiful and historic
Tudor mansion, famous in the time of the third Baron Holland (1796-1840)
as 'the favourite resort of wits and beauties, painters and poets, scholars,
philosophers, and statesmen.'
Built
by John Thorpe in 1607 for Sir Walter Cope and originally called Cope Castle,
Holland House passed by marriage to Henry Rich, created Earl of Holland
(in Lincolnshire), who was executed in 1649. The house was then occupied
for a time by the parliamentary generals Fairfax and Lambert, but was later
restored to Lord Holland's widow. In the reign of Charles II. William Penn
seems to have lodged in this house, and in 1689 William III. and Mary temporarily
occupied it. In 1716 Joseph Addison married the widow of the third Earl
of Warwick and Holland, and it was at Holland House in 1719 that he showed
his stepson, the fourth Earl, 'how a Christian can die.' Lord Kensington,
heir of the Rich family, sold the house to Henry Fox (father of Charles
James Fox), who was made Baron Holland in 1763. `Lord Ilchester is descended
from Henry Fox's brother. The brilliant literary and political (Whig) circle
of which Holland House was the centre under the third baron (see above)
is described in Macaulay's essay on Lord Holland. See also Princess Liechienstein's
'Holland House' (1874).
An
opportunity of seeing the very beautiful gardens is sometimes given when
the summer flower-show of the Horticultural Society is held in the grounds,
but the public are not admitted to the house, which contains some fine
pictures, notably works by Reynolds and G. F. Watts.'
Photographs of Holland House are very sparse. The only interiors I can find are this series of stereoviews, a few of which are illustrated in the George Eastman House, Still Photograph Archive. The house itself was bombed beyond repair in September 1940. For the Wikipedia entry with a couple of engravings of the exterior please click HERE. There is an iconic photograph of the library the morning after it was bombed. Here it is:
These views are hard to find. The
series was produced by the London Stereoscopic Company, and are by William
England. They date from about 1864.
No 1. Holland House, South
Front.
Condition 9.
Order #415.
Price $55.
No 2. Holland House, South
Side.
Condition 8/9.
Order #416.
Price $55.
No 5. The Grand Staircase.
Condition 8/9.
Order #417.
Price $45.
No 6. House and Garden, West
Side.
Condition 8.
Order #418.
Price $45.
No 8. The Gilt Room.
Condition 8.
Order #419.
Price $30.
No 11. The Breakfast Room.
Condition 8/9.
Order #420.
Price $40.
No 13. Crimson Drawing Room,
North Side.
Condition 9.
Order #421.
Price $45.
No 14. Journal Room, North
Side. Note that the bookcases match those illustrated above in the 1940
wartime photograph.
Condition 9.
Order #422.
Price $45.
No 15. The Terrace.
Condition 8.
Order #423.
Price $45.
No 16. The Italian Garden and
Logie.
Condition 8.
Order #424.
Price $45.
No 21. The Colonade.
Condition 8.
Order #425.
Price $45.
No 23. The Terrace, South Side.
Condition 8/9.
Order #426.
Price $45.
Next series is also a London Stereoscopic
and Photographic Company production from around 1864 and also probably
by William England. I can find no record of the 'Royal Visit to the City'
(Guildhall) as the Royal Family are often guests of the City dignitaries
at this venue. Reference to 'the Princess's Boudoir' indicate that the
visitors were probably Prince Edward (later Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra.
They were married in 1863.
View of North Side.
Condition 8.
Order #427.
Price $18.
View of North Side.
Condition 8.
Order #428.
Price $22.
View of South Side.
Condition 8.
Order #429.
Price $22.
General view of interior.
Condition. Slight loss (white
mark at bottom right of left image).
Order #430.
Price $18.
The Gold and Silver Plate -
Royal Banquet Hall.
Condition 8.
Order #431.
Price $22.
Fountain View in the Royal
Banquet Hall.
Condition 8.
Order #432.
Price $18.
The Throne - East End.
Condition 8 (bottom of left
image slightly unglued).
Order #433.
Price $22.
The Princess's Boudoir.
Condition 7.
Order #434.
Price $18.
'The Guildhall'. Early view
with grey label; short description.
Condition 8 but minor mount
faults in center.
Order #436.
Price $18.
1930s silver gelatin view by
Rotary on thin photographic paper. High-quality images and well worth viewing.
There are a number of these dotted about. 'The Guildhall'.
Condition 9.
Order #437.
Price $3.
'Interior of Guildhall'. Mechanically
produced view.
Condition 7/8 (foxing to mount).
Order #438.
Price $4.
Rotary 'The Royal Exchange'.
1920 silver gelatin view on thin photograpic paper.
Condition 9.
Order #439.
Price $4.
White label 'London. Guards'
Memorial, Waterloo Place'. Important view.
Condition. Light marks and
light foxing in sky.
Order #440.
Price $22.
'Horse Guards'.
Condition 6 (light and pink
light creep towards center on both images).
Order #441.
Price $12.
Handwritten 'St James Palace'.
Condition 7.
Order #442.
Price $12.
'The Horse Guards'.
Condition 6.
Order #443.
Price $6.
1920s silver gelatin view by
Rotary on thin photographic paper. 'Whitehall, Horse Guards'.
Condition 8.
Order #444.
Price $3.
Keystone. 1920s silver gelatin
view. 'Trafalgar Square and the Nelson Monument, London'. Descriptive text
on back.
Condition 8 but slight stain
on right image.
Order #446.
Price $10.
'Trafalgar Square, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #448.
Price $8.
Universal Photo Art Co., Philadelphia.
Graves copyright. 'Trafalgar Square, London'.
Condition. Better images than
scan. Views well.
Order #449.
Price $12.
Kilburn 'Trafalgar Square,
London'.
Condition. Some marks and
a little light.
Order #450.
Price $8.
Collection SL. Handwritten
'Statue de Georges III et Parliament'. Wild of the mark by about 500 years
- see below for correct attribution.
Condition 7.
Order #452.
Price $8.
White label. 'Views of London.
Statue of Richard Coeur de Lion'.
Condition 8.
Order #454.
Price $8.
'Houses of Parliament, Richard
Coeur de Lion'. Mechanically produced view.
Condition 8.
Order #455.
Price $4.
'Houses of Parliament'.
Condition 4.
Order #456.
Price $3.
'Parliament from River'. Mechanically
produced view.
Condition 5 (stains).
Order #457.
Price $2.
'Houses of Parliament from
the River'. Mechanically produced view.
Condition 7.
Order #458.
Price $4.
'The Parliament Houses'.
Condition. Slight black marks
are neg. faults.
Order #459.
Price $18.
Keystone 'Overlooking the Thames
at night'. Descriptive text. Fascinating view.
Condition 9/10.
Order #460.
Price $18.
There are a few views on these pages by Valentine Blanchard who, Waldsmith records, was producing views under the Elliott imprint up to 1863 after which they usually appear, as these, under his own name. He worked to 1872 and his London series is regarded as being an important contribution.
Valentine Blanchard No
407. 'Houses of Parliament from Lambeth'.
Condition 7 (light spotting).
Order #461.
Price $15.
Kodak 'Houses of Parliament,
London'. 1920s silver gelatin view on thin photographic paper.
Condition 7.
Order #462.
Price $3.
F. York. '179. The Houses of
Parliament from Westminster Bridge'.
Condition. Grubby!
Order #464.
Price $4.
F. York. 'No 8. Houses of Parliament,
Clock Tower and Palace Yard'.
Condition. Grubby.
Order #465.
Price $6.
Valentine Blanchard. No 404.
'The Houses of Parliament from Westminster Abbey'.
Condition 9.
Order #466.
Price $22.
'New Houses of Parliament'.
Condition 6.
Order #467.
Price $8.
Collection SL. Handwritten
'Londres, Parliament'
Condition 7.
Order #468.
Price $8.
Untitled view of Parliament.
Condition 8.
Order #469.
Price $12.
Small white label 'Star Chamber
Court, Houses of Parliament'. Early 1860s view.
Condition. Some foxing but
rare view.
Order #470.
Price $22.
Early tinted view of Parliament.
Condition. light crease on
right image.
Order #471.
Price $12.
White label 'Portion of the
gateway of Victoria Tower'.
Condition. Several rust stains
but an unusual early 1860s view.
Order #472.
Price $12.
'Westminster Hall'. Long text
description.
Condition. Difficult to assess.
Sharpness in foreground indicates that this is not so much faded as how
it was originally produced.
Order #473.
Price $10.
'Westminster Hall'.
Condition 8.
Order #474.
Price $12.
Valentine Blanchard 'No 505.
St Stephen's Hall'.
Condition 4 (faded and stains).
Order #475.
Price $2.
White label 'The British Houses
of Parliament. St Stephen's Hall. Photographed by special permission'.
Condition 9.
Order #476.
Price $22.
White label 'The British Houses
of Parliament. St Stephen's Hall. Photographed by special permission'.Fine
hand-tinted version.
Condition 9.
Order #477.
Price $28.
White label 'The British Houses
of Parliament. Old St Stephen's Cloisters, now used as the Members' cloak
room. Photographed by special permission'.
Condition 8.
Order #478.
Price $18.
Horatio Nelson King. ' Houses
of Parliament. The Cloisters'.
Condition 8.
Order #479.
Price $12.
'The Parliament Houses. The
House of Commons'.
Condition 8.
Order #480.
Price $22.
Horatio Nelson King. 'London.
The House of Commons'.
Condition 8.
Order #481.
Price $12.
Keystone 'The House of Commons,
London'.
Condition 8.
Order #482.
Price $10.
Horatio Nelson King. 'Houses
of Parliament. The Peers' Entrance'.
Condition 9.
Order #483.
Price $15.
'The House of Lords from the
Princes' Chambers'.
Condition 7.
Order #484.
Price $10.
Horatio Nelson King. 'The House
of Lords'.
Condition 9.
Order #485.
Price $12.
Excelsior 'The House of Lords,
London'.
Condition 8.
Order #486.
Price $10.
'Interior of the House of Peers'.
Condition 9.
Order #487.
Price $10.
Keystone. 1920s silver gelatin
view. 'The House of Lords, London'. Descriptive text on back.
Condition 10.
Order #488.
Price $12.
'110. St Margaret's Church,
Westminster'. Mechanically produced view.
Condition 8.
Order #489.
Price $3.
'The Bank, London'.
Condition 8 (slight stain
on mount).
Order #494.
Price $22.
Keystone 'One of the great
financial centers of the world. Bank of England and Royal Exchange'. Descriptive
text.
Condition 9.
Order #496.
Price $22.
Keystone 'One of the great
financial centers of the world. Bank of England and Royal Exchange'. Descriptive
text.
Condition 10.
Order #497.
Price $22.
Underwood/Strohmeyer 'Fleet
Street, London'.
Condition. Clear but light.
Order #499.
Price $12.
'Ludgate Hill, London'.
Condition 8/9.
Order #500.
Price $18.
Underwood/Strohmeyer 'Ludgate
Hill, London'.
Condition 8.
Order #8961.
Price $15.
Excelsior 'Ludgate Hill, London'.
Condition. Usual Excelsior
lightness and stains at right of right image.
Order #8963.
Price $6.
'107. London Bridge, from the
Borough'.
Condition 7/8.
Order #8964.
Price $22.
'London Bridge'.
Condition. Stain on right
image.
Order #8965.
Price $12.
Kilburn/Davis 'London Bridge,
Jubilee week'. This would have been 1887 or 1897 - suggest the latter.
Condition 7.
Order #8966.
Price $12.
Underwood/Jarvis 'London Bridge'.
Condition 7.
Order #8967.
Price $10.
Underwood 'London Bridge'.
A massively popular view. Descriptive text on back.
Condition 9.
Order #8968.
Price $10.
Underwood 'London Bridge'.
A slightly different view. Richer tones. Descriptive text on back.
Condition 9.
Order #8969.
Price $12.
Kodak 'The Thames at London
Bridge'. 1920 silver gelatin view on thin photograpic paper.
Condition 7.
Order #8970.
Price $3.
Excelsior 'Westminster Bridge'.
Condition. Usual Excelsior
fading and grubby marks.
Order #8971.
Price $3.
Kilburn/Davis 'Waterloo Bridge
and Somerset House, London'.
Condition 7.
Order #8972.
Price $6.
