846
of elaborately decorated domestic interiors, especially
country houses, Bedford Lemere never employed more
than two or three assistants who maintained the objec-
tive, sober and all-inclusive style which from 1897
was emulated by photographers employed by Country
Life magazine. This somewhat dry style without much
human incident indoors exhibits a cumulative effect
through carefully controlled composition and obsessive
attention to detail. The images provide unparalleled re-
cords for contemporary commissioners and, today, for
several national archives. Along with architecture a prof-
itable maritime sideline was built up recording similar
interiors of ocean liners and by the mid 1880s Lemere
became the single most important photographer in this
area being employed by Cunard, White Star, Canadian
Pacifi c, and other transatlantic shipping companies. In
1887 with agents in New York and Paris some 8,500
images in 17 series were being advertised.
Possible rivals for the crown of architectural pho-
tography in England include Charles Latham, Horatio
Nelson King, S. B. Bolas and the photographers con-
nected with Country Life but though they all created
superior images none were ever able to emulate the
single-minded continuity of Lemere whose ability to
sum up interiors using just one plate per room was
evident for over 70 years. The company survived the
death of H. Bedford Lemere in 1944 [when glass was
still being utilized] but the decline in demand at the
same time for large format plates meant that 1944
represents the zenith of large-format architectural
photography in Britain.
The output and style of Bedford Lemere was seam-
lessly taken over and developed into a recognisable style
by his son in the late 1880s as commissions diversifi ed
yet further whilst retaining the architectural core. Apart
from a complete set of negative registers very little other
documentary evidence has survived which is a pity
since both father and son must have had considerable
skills in cultivating such an extraordinarily diverse set
of contacts across England linked with every aspect of
architecture and property.
Perhaps one-third of the estimated total output of
100,000+ images now survive, most of them at the
National Monuments Record, English Heritage. Nev-
ertheless, even this partial survival represents one of
the most detailed records ever created of Victorian and
Edwardian life; it avoids the usual topographical and
tourist views and systematically depicts the exteriors
and interiors of everything from modest suburban houses
to factories and palaces. The quality and extent show
that Bedford Lemere ought to be considered a delinea-
tor of Victorian preoccupations with décor, class and
industry. These unique records should be consulted by
any historian concerned with design, architecture or
taste in Britain. In a medium where absences are com-
monplace, the survival of even a fraction of this visual
density means that this work archive is one of the most
important in Britain.
Ian LeithBiography
Bedford Lemere was born in Maldon, Essex, and estab-
lished his photographic career in the 1860s before he
founding his own company at 147 Strand, Westminster
c. 1867. In 1862 he married Anne Pennyfeather at St
Pancras church, London. By the late 1880s control
of Bedford Lemere & Co. passed to his son Henry
[Harry] Bedford Lemere [1865–1944] who later became
President of the Professional Photographers Association
[1930]. The company was at the same address until the
late 1940s and then relocated to South London before
being absorbed in another concern. Apart from very
detailed registers and a small fraction of the negatives
much has been lost including all correspondence linked
with commissions and all negatives taken 1929–1944.
Surviving negatives, prints and proof print albums were
purchased from the 1950s onwards by the Royal Com-
mission on the Historical Monuments of England [later
English Heritage]. Over 20,000 negatives and prints
along with a complete set of registers survive with the
National Monuments Record, English Heritage. Scottish
negatives are held by the Royal Commission on Ancient
and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh. Most
Shipping negatives are at the National Maritime Mu-
seum, Greenwich. Substantial print holdings exist in the
Guildhall Library, City of London, and at Westminster
Archives but many others are known to exist throughout
English archives. Several archives in the United States
and Canada hold images of the Architectural Museum
as well as later material.
See also: Blanchard, Valentine; and King, Horatio
Nelson.Further Reading
Cocroft, W. D., and Leith, I., “Cunard’s Shellworks, Liverpool”
in Archive: The Quarterly Journal for British Industrial and
Transport History no.11, September 1996.
Cooper, N.. The Opulent Eye: Late Victorian and Edwardian Taste
in Interior Design, London: The Architectural Press, 1976.
Leith, I., The Streets of London: A Photographic Record. Volume
1: Westminster Photographed by Bedford Lemere, Liverpool:
Editions, 1990.
——, “A Century of Picture Making: The Bedford Lemere Ar-
chive” in English Heritage Collections Review vol. 4, London:
English Heritage, 2003.
——, “Amateurs, Antiquaries and Tradesmen: A Context for
Photographic History in London” in London Topographical
Record vol .XXVIII, edited by A. L. Saunders, London: Lon-
don Topographical Society, 2001.
Seddon, J P. “Photographs from the Architectural Museum” in
The Architect, vol. 8, November 30, 1872.