Photography Literature

As a collectable area of rare books, Photography Literature encompasses books from and relating to the earliest history of photography, chronicling the work of pioneers of photography such as William Henry Fox Talbot, Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Alongside these founding fathers of photography, we also explore the lives and works of those who helped the medium evolve. This could include the portraiture of Julia Margaret Cameron (famous for her portraits of Darwin), the 'zoopraxiscopic' photographs of Eadweard Muybridge, the stark high detail of Ansel Adams and the brilliant surrealism of photographic artists such as Angus McBean and Man Ray.

The History of Photography

Photography Literature at Forum Auctions also examines the broader impact of photography historically. With its invention in the 1830s, photography revolutionised how information could be disseminated accurately and reliably, increasingly taking over from the art of illustration in reportage and documentation. From serving as witness to the act and aftermath of war to recording mankind's first steps on the Moon, photography has played an essential role in our ability to capture and reflect on historical events. Photography also enabled breakthroughs in science, notably with the invention of x-ray photography and the evolution of telescopy.

As we move into a new and potentially dark era of 'deep fake' manipulation of the recorded image, it is also worth perhaps reflecting on how the humble photograph has been abused and misused in the past, for political and propaganda purposes.