Early 1890's Family Portrait

Another 1890's portrait from an 10" x 8" glass plate.Again I'm in the dark to where this is.I presume this was an old family of one of the old halls around the Ribble Valley.In this day and age it's hard imagine a photograph being a special event,being that just about everybody today has some sort of camera.Before the 1890's photography really was only for the professional or very keen amateur.It was not untill the 1890's that the first 'snapshot' cameras came on to the market.Enabling alot more people to own a camera.In 1885,George Eastman invented a form of gelatin-coated paper backed film which could be used in a roll.He designed a purpose designed box camera in which the film was to be used.George Eastman started to market this camera in 1889 called the No. 1 Kodak.From then on the camera became alot more part of everyday life,though it did not fully catch on untill around the 1930's.Unlike the camera that was used to take this photograph.The plate camera (that can be seen in the castle museum) is a massive wooden affair.Which is approximately about 2 1/2 feet long and on it's stand about 4 feet high.To take it on jobs such as this must have a been an art in it self.

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