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The First of September

Photograph
1855 (photographed)
Artist/Maker

William Henry Lake Price was a printmaker and painter as well as a photographer. He chose a traditional artistic subject - a still life featuring the extraordinary intricacy of bird plumage - to demonstrate his mastery of the still relatively new photographic medium . He was very probably using the wet collodion negative, which gave increased sharpness (compared to earlier paper negatives) and was still less tyan five years old. His title reflects the traditional commencement of the grouse shooting season. The rich bronze colour of this print is probably due to gold-toning, which also helped to ensure that the print has not faded. It was bought by the founding director of the V&A, Sir Henry Cole, at the annual exhibition of the Photographic Society of London, which opened in Piccadilly in January 1856. With this and 21 other photographers bought from the exhibition, Cole began the V&A's collection of photography as an art medium (not only a documentary one).


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleThe First of September (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Photograph
Brief description
Albumen print from collodion negative; 19thC; Price, William Lake. The First of September 1855
Physical description
Sepia photograph on card mount showing two dead grouse suspended from a nail against a dark background
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.6cm
  • Width: 16.4cm
Style
Production typeUnlimited edition
Gallery label
Gallery 100 ‘A History of Photography’, 2014-2015, label text: William Henry Lake Price (1810–96) ‘The First of September’ 1855 Lake Price was a lithographer and painter as well as a photographer. To capture the intricate details and textures of the birds’ feathers in this still life he used a glass plate negative. The title and the print’s autumnal tone refer to the traditional starting date of the grouse-shooting season. Albumen print from collodion negative Purchased by Henry Cole from the Photographic Society of London, 1856 Museum no. 36:375 (06 03 2014)
Object history
Purchased by Sir Henry Cole
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Reason For Production: Exhibition
Summary
William Henry Lake Price was a printmaker and painter as well as a photographer. He chose a traditional artistic subject - a still life featuring the extraordinary intricacy of bird plumage - to demonstrate his mastery of the still relatively new photographic medium . He was very probably using the wet collodion negative, which gave increased sharpness (compared to earlier paper negatives) and was still less tyan five years old. His title reflects the traditional commencement of the grouse shooting season. The rich bronze colour of this print is probably due to gold-toning, which also helped to ensure that the print has not faded. It was bought by the founding director of the V&A, Sir Henry Cole, at the annual exhibition of the Photographic Society of London, which opened in Piccadilly in January 1856. With this and 21 other photographers bought from the exhibition, Cole began the V&A's collection of photography as an art medium (not only a documentary one).
Bibliographic references
  • Hunt, Tristram and Victoria Whitfield, Art Treasures in Manchester: 150 years on Manchester: Manchester Art Gallery, 2007. ISBN 978 0 90167 372 5.
  • p. 157 The Origin of Photography: Great Britain. Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, 2019.
Collection
Accession number
36375

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Record createdFebruary 11, 2004
Record URL
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