Francis Frith (1822-1898)

Francis Frith was born at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England on 7th October 1822 to a Quaker family. He was a successful grocer and later, a printer. He fostered an interest in photography, becoming a founding member of the Liverpool Photographic Society in 1853. In 1855 Frith sold his other business interests in order to dedicate himself entirely to photography.

From 1856 to 1860 Frith made three photographic expeditions to Egypt and Palestine. The cameras he used were massive and cumbersome. The glass plates alone could be up to 16" x 20" (405mm x 505mm). He used the collodion process and the detail and resolution achieved could hardly be bettered by the best equipment used today. His work was published by the London firms of James S. Virtue and William Mackenzie between 1858 and 1865, and as stereographs published by Negretti and Zambra in 1862.

In 1860 he married and settled in Reigate, Surrey, England. He established a postcard company and set out to photograph every town and village in the British Isles. This was a monumental project. Initially he took the photographs himself, but as success came, he hired people to help him.

The company became one of the largest photographic enterprises in the world. Over two thousand shops throughout the land were soon selling his postcards.

Francis Frith died on 25th February 1898 at Cannes in France but the company he founded lived on. His photographs, recognised for their fresh crispness and serene beauty are still enjoyed and treasured throughout the world today.

More biographical information from Professor Margaret F Harker