Photographs
One particular area of Mellors & Kirk’s expertise lies in the field of photography. The market for 19th and early 20th century photographic images, especially travel albums, has really only existed since about 1980. Prices then were, at most, several hundred pounds. Now the situation is very different and images of indigenous people will attract worldwide bidding. This image is from a late 19th century album of photographs by Admiral Sir James Elphinstone Erskine (1838-1911) and contained 110 mounted albumen prints, not all of which were in good condition. It achieved a hammer price of £9,000 in a Mellors & Kirk specialist sale of Photographs, Postcards and Printed Ephemera.
Mellors & Kirk has also sold notable 19th century images by such eminent photographers as Julia Margaret Cameron, Roger Fenton and Oscar Gustave Rejlander.
Should you have photographs that you think may be of interest, such as deguerreotypes, tintypes, wet collodion positives (‘ambrotypes’) albumen, carbon or platinum prints, gum bichromate or bromoil prints or early cine films, please email images or bring them to The Auction House for a free valuation.
Photographs are included in all Mellors & Kirk Sales, including our curated two-day monthly Antique & Collectors Sales.
