19th century England is brought to life with newly acquired photograph collection

More than 8,000 photos that depict English architecture, landscapes and maritime history from the 1800s to the early 1900s have been given to Historic England. The Janette Rosing collection has one of the most impressive variety of images that bring the era of urbanisation to life.

Photographers covering every English county are represented by the collection, including W.G. Campbell, William Russell Sedgefield, Henry William Verscholye, Samuel Smith of Wisbech, William J. Cox of Plymouth, James Mudd, and Samuel Buckle.

“From maritime scenes by James Mudd to detailed architectural studies by Linnaeus Tripe, each photograph in this exceptional collection offers a glimpse into the past, showcasing Janette Rosing’s expert eye for quality,” said Ian Savage, Collections Manager for Historic England.

“Rosing’s collection will continue to connect us with our history and inspire future generations to appreciate England’s rich cultural legacy,” Savage added.

Janette Rosing was an antiquarian, art and photograph collector. She began her collection of 19th century photographs in the 1980s after her obsession was kickstarted by stumbling upon an image of Hartland Quay on the Devon coast before a storm ravaged it.

In her lifetime, Rosing’s expertise led to her becoming a consultant for the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. She died in 2021 and her collection was acquired by Historic England, a non-departmental government body for preserving English history, through the UK Government's Acquisition in Lieu (AiL) scheme.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “We are delighted to have acquired this historic collection, assembled by the photography expert Janette Rosing over 50 years of assiduous and discerning collecting,”.

“The photographs provide a wealth of images of England from the second half of the nineteenth century through to the early twentieth century. The scale and rarity of her collection makes this archive of images of great national significance,” he said.

Historic England credits the collection with demonstrating a time when photography was changing the visual art landscape to recognise the medium as a “legitimate art form”.

As advances in photographic technology allowed early adopters to capture landscapes with increasing precision, it became a crucial tool in the documentation of modern life.

Part of what makes the collection so thrilling is the formalistic experimentation of the works, from creative approaches to style to the different processes used, including Calotype, Collodion, dry plate and platinum.

Since their acquisition, Historic England is undertaking a conservation assessment before the photos are catalogued and digitised.