National Photographic Record and Survey
- Object:
- Place of origin:
Corby, England (photographed)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Stone, Benjamin (Sir), born 1836 - died 1914 (photographer)
- Materials and Techniques:
platinum print mounted on card with hand written ink notation
- Credit Line:
Transferred from the British Museum
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, room 512M, case MX22, shelf 4, box 82A
- Download image
This is one of 1532 prints that Benjamin Stone made as part of the project he began, by creating the National Photographic Record Association (NPRA). Between 1897 and 1910 the NPRA recorded the customs, festivals, and architecture valued at the time to foster, as noted in The Times (4 April 1897 p. 6 col. 6), 'a national pride in the historical associations of the country, or neighbourhood, [or] in family traditions'. This print shows a fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1585 that still takes place every twenty years. The road is barred and tolls exacted from passers-by. Anyone found not to have paid the toll is carried through the fair on a pole and then placed in stocks. Stone has carefully composed this image, revealing an aesthetic awareness that complements his documentary mission.
Physical description
b&w print mounted on card depicting the entrance to a fair lined with people
Place of Origin
Corby, England (photographed)
Date
05/1902 (made)
Artist/maker
Stone, Benjamin (Sir), born 1836 - died 1914 (photographer)
Materials and Techniques
platinum print mounted on card with hand written ink notation
Dimensions
Height: 15.6 cm image, Width: 20.3 cm image
Descriptive line
Photograph of the entrance to the Whitsuntide Pole Fair, held once every 20 years in Corby, Northamptonshire, by Sir Benjamin Stone, May 1902
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Apollo Magazine, February 2007
This is one of 1532 prints that Benjamin Stone made as part of the project he began, by creating the National Photographic Record Association (NPRA). Between 1897 and 1910 the NPRA recorded the customs, festivals, and architecture valued at the time to foster, as noted in The Times (4 April 1897 p. 6 col. 6), 'a national pride in the historical associations of the country, or neighbourhood, [or] in family traditions'. This print shows a fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1585 that still takes place every twenty years. The road is barred and tolls exacted from passers-by. Anyone found not to have paid the toll is carried through the fair on a pole and then placed in stocks. Stone has carefully composed this image, revealing an aesthetic awareness that complements his documentary mission.
Exhibition History
Festivals, Ceremonies and Customs: Sir Benjamin Stone and the National Photographic Record (Victoria and Albert Museum 26/10/2006-14/01/2007)
Labels and date
The Customs of Corby Pole Fair. Barrier against all Strangers at the entrance to the Village. May 1902
This fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1585, still takes place every twenty years. The road is barred and tolls exacted from passers-by. Anyone found not to have paid the toll is carried through the fair on a pole and then placed in stocks.
Corby, Northamptonshire, 1902
Museum no. E.4555-2000
Collection code
PDP
