In 1839, Frenchman Louis Daguerre presented to the world his exciting new invention, the daguerreotype, a means of producing a permanent image using a camera obscura. Nottingham businessman Alfred Barber saw great potential in this invention and just two years later he set up a photographic studio in the attics of Bromley House – the first in the Midlands. This is just the first chapter in a photographic story that developed in 1841 and runs to the present day. We have produced a small booklet that explores our photographic history and heritage – click on the button below to read it in full.
Seize the Light – Bromley House Library’s Photographic Heritage
Today, we have a lively photographic group for our members, which keeps the art of photography alive in the library. We have worked with photographers as part of our Artist in Residence scheme and our exhibitions.
In our attics we hold the Pauline Heathcote Archive. Pauline Heathcote was a member of the library and the President of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Photographic Society between 1972-73. A photographic historian, she researched Victorian photographers and studios throughout the British Isles. The archive contains her published work and related documents including letters to photographers, newspaper cuttings and advertisements. It is a unique and valuable research tool, generously donated to the library by her husband Bernard in 2015.
If you would like to access the archive, please contact us to make an appointment for a research visit. You can also view her seminal work, A Faithful Likeness, by clicking the relevant links below. This material is provided for research purposes only and we ask that any published usage is clearly acknowledged.
The Pauline Heathcote Archive Listing
A Faithful Likeness: The first photographic portrait studios in the British Isles 1841 to 1855
A Faithful Likeness: Appendix Part A – list of contents and Aberdeen to Carlisle
A Faithful Likeness: Appendix Part B – Carlisle (cont) to Hereford
A Faithful Likeness: Appendix Part C – Hereford (cont) to Newport)
A Faithful Likeness: Appendix Part D – Newport (cont) to Salisbury
A Faithful Likeness: Appendix Part E – Scarborough to York
Do you belong to a photographic group or society that would like a bespoke tour and visit to focus on photographic history? If so please contact Matt Dolman, Development Manager here or call the library on 01159 473134 to discuss availability and options.