About

Francis Frith was a 19th-century landscape photographer, renowned for his mastery of the mammoth plate format and his rare combination of artistic vision and business acumen. Initially a wholesale grocer, Frith developed an interest in photography and, around 1850, co-founded the Frith & Hayward photographic studio in Liverpool. By 1856, he had fully dedicated himself to photography, embarking on an ambitious journey to Egypt and Palestine.

During this trip, Frith photographed with both stereoscopic and large-format cameras, producing the only mammoth plates of Egypt during the period. Working in extreme conditions of heat, dust, and intense light—his journals recall the collodion boiling on the plate—he often developed his plates in tombs and caves to shield them from the elements. While his intention was to document historic sites such as the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza, his photographs also reveal a refined sense of composition, form, and texture, seamlessly integrating natural and architectural elements with human presence.

Frith’s images captivated Victorian audiences, offering an evocative glimpse of distant lands to armchair travelers. The widespread popularity of his work funded additional expeditions to Jerusalem, Syria, and Lebanon. In 1859, following his third Middle Eastern journey, Frith established F. Frith & Company, England’s first photographic publishing firm. His ambitious project to document every town and notable site in Britain began with his own photography but soon expanded to include hired photographers. The company’s extensive collection of postcards remained in production until 1970, leaving a lasting legacy in photographic history.