Photograph albums of Frederick W. Latterall and of Bedford Lemere and Co.

Scope and Content

This collection contains two albums of photographs relating to church architecture.

The first album is thought to have been compiled by or to have belonged to Frederick W. Latterall, and is inscribed with his name and the year 1872. It covers the period 1872-1874 and includes fixed and loose photographs of English ecclesiastical architecture, as well of sites in Italy and Belgium.

The second album is entitled 'Architectural photographs: Bedford Lemere and Co'. It is inscribed 'Fred. W. Latterall, 1874'. Attached is a printed catalogue of 'photographs taken from specimens in the Royal Architectural Museum, Westminster'. Most of the photographs are of cathedral architecture (external and internal shots), including images of particular architectural features e.g. misericords, columns etc. Many of the objects photographed formed part of the collections of the Architectural Museum, London (formed c 1852, later became the Royal Architectural Museum).

Administrative / Biographical History

Bedford Lemere and Co. was founded in the late 1860s as a specialist architectural photographer, and was located at 147 Strand, London. The archive of the company (held at the National Monument Record) forms a key source for images of the built environment in England from 1870 until after the Second World War. Although a small company throughout its history, the volume of its output put it onto a national standing. The firm later became a part of Handford Photographers, Croydon.

Nothing is known about Frederick W. Latterall, except that he clearly had an interest in high-class architectural records for students or craftsmen.

Access Information

Usual EUL arrangements apply.

Note

Information on the firm Bedford Lemere has been taken from Ian Leith, 'A century of picture making: the Bedford Lemere Archive', in: English Heritage Collections Review, vol. 4 (2003), 134-139.

Other Finding Aids

A rough handlist is available.

Archivist's Note

Description compiled by Charlotte Berry, Archivist, 11 April 2005, and encoded into EAD 2 June 2005.

Conditions Governing Use

Usual EUL restrictions apply.

Custodial History

Although both of these volumes belong to the University Library, they were temporarily removed to the Devon and Exeter Institution. They were transferred to Special Collections by the Special Collections Librarian in 2001.

Related Material

Records relating to Bedford Lemere and Co. Ltd. are held at the National Monuments Record, Swindon(daybooks and negatives); the National Maritime Museum, the Guildhall Library; the Scottish Royal Commission (RCAHMS) and the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal.

Bibliography

It is not known whether this collection has formed the basis of any publication.