The Photographic Studios of Europe

The Photographic Studios of Europe, first published in 1882, is the only detailed account available of working practices and conditions in the studios of the leading photographers of the Victorian period. Revealing, surprising, perceptive and authoritative, this first-hand report is based on seeing scores of photographers and their workshops in action. The result is fascinating and valuable both as a social historical record and as a classic of photographic literature.

This newly-designed and typeset edition provides - for the first time - a highly readable and accessible selection from the original Victorian edition. Author H Baden Pritchard (1841-1884) was Secretary of the Photographic Society of Great Britain and remains "a distinguished name in photography" (Mark Haworth-Booth).

Adopting a "colloquial style" he leads us on a "house-to-house visitation among the principal studios of Europe... determined to write down great things and small alike... and so produce a record of practice." Recording the physical environment of each workplace, the work undertaken, employees, clientele, pricing and techniques, the book provides unparalleled insights into the burgeoning business of photography in the Victorian period.