Lot 32: ROGER FENTON (1819-1869); AND JAMES ROBERTSON(1813-1888)

Scenery Views of The Camp - Panorama of Sebastopol, Inkermann and Balaklava Manchester: Thomas Agnew & Sons, 1855-56. With 67 salt and 2 lightly- coated albumen prints by Roger Fenton. Varying sizes from 5 3/8 x 6 5/8in. (13.6 x 16.8cm.) to 14 x 103/4in. (35.5 x 26.4cm.) or reverse, including 19 prints forming 3 panoramas. Each with printed photographer's, publisher's and retailer's credit and title, publisher's blindstamp on mount. Each mounted one-per-page. Bound together with 12 albumen prints by James Robertson. Each approx. 9 x 113/4in. (22.9 x 29.8cm.), including 2 prints forming one panorama. Each signed in negative; 8 with photographer's, publisher's and retailer's printed credits, one with publisher's blindstamp credit, majority sequentially numbered in pencil on mounts. Key to Plateau of Sebastopol panorama, printed dedication page To Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria This Panorama of The Plateau of Sebastopol, Photographed in the Crimea during the Spring and Summer of 1855, by Roger Fenton Esq r e. is most respectfully dedicated By Her Majesty's most grateful subjects and servants Thomas Agnew & Sons., ex-libris bookplate Chiswick on front pastedown. Brown half leather, gilt, gilt credit, title and owner's stamp in gilt on spine. Album size: 23 x 17in. (58.5 x 43.2cm.) PROVENANCE Chiswick House, along with Burlington House and other properties, once belonging to Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, came into the possession of the Devonshires through the marriage of Boyle's daughter Charlotte to William Cavendish (c.1720-1764), 4th Duke of Devonshire. Many of the finest pieces of furniture and works of art at Chatsworth today derive from this inheritance. Fenton's Crimean War albums offered in this and the following lot would have joined the outstanding Devonshire collection during the dukedom of William Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858), 6th Duke of Devonshire, an avid art collector whose initials WS appear over the crowned D of Devonshire on the spine of both albums. London, in the 19th century, was the nexus of the art world and the 6th Duke spent the 47 years of his dukedom adding masterpieces to the family collection and setting the fashion for art collecting among his contemporaries. It is believed that the albums were acquired by the family of the present owner sometime after WW II. In 1950, the 10th Duke died unexpectedly and works of art, rare books, land and other assets were either sold or surrendered to the Treasury. LITERATURE See: Gernsheim, Roger Fenton, Photographer of the Crimean War, pp. 16-17, 19, 28, 30, 32, 46, 48, 51-52, 57; Hannavy, Roger Fenton of Crimble Hall, pp. 70, 73-74; Aperture, Roger Fenton, pp. 73, 75; Lloyd, Roger Fenton, Photographer of the 1850s, pp. 51, 53-54, 57-58, 60. For Robertson images, see: mus‚e de l'Arm‚e, Crim‚e 1854-1856: premiers reportages de guerre, pp. 26, 33-35, 38, 61, 65. NOTES Including a good series of studies at Balaklava, The Valley of the Shadow of Death (illustrated), A Quiet Day in the Mortar Battery, Cemetery, Cathcart's Hill and views of various camps of 4th Light Dragoons, 4th Dragoon Guards, horse artillery and cavalry. In addition, the complete 11-part panorama Plateau of Sebastopol with its key, 5-part panorama Plains of Balaklava and 3-part panorama Valley of Inkermann are included. Photographs taken by Robertson include one 2-part panorama Interiors of Fort Redan, Sebastopol, and views of Malakoff and the Barracks Battery. Titles of Fenton's images available upon request. The Crimean War photographs were offered in a series of parts, in which a group of 160 images was described as the "Complete Work" or the "Entire Work" in the catalogue of the publisher Agnew, although Hannavy states that 360 prints were shown to the Emperor Napoleon. The prints were also sold in a series of titled volumes, such as these. It would appear that although the number of photographs per volume was fixed, it was up to the individual buyer to select the particular choice of subjects. The photographs sold singly were priced from half a guinea to a guinea. For Fenton's own detailed account of his visit to the Crimea, see: Hannavy, Roger Fenton of Crimble Hall, chapter 5, which reproduces the text of his Narrative of a Photographic Trip to the Seat of War in the Crimea, delivered before a meeting of the Photographic Society in January 1856.