These seven portrait photographs of William Morris are framed together. On the tape that seals the back of the frame, Dorothy Walker has written, ‘These 5 taken by Emery Walker 19 January 1889. 2 Isle of Man photographs of William Morris taken 1880.’ The set of five by Walker are possibly photogravures, a reproductive technique that was a speciality of Walker and Boutall. Based at 16 Clifford’s Inn, in the City of London, Walker and Boutall was founded by Walker and Walter Boutall in 1886 as a firm of process and general engravers, draughtsmen, map constructors and photographers of works of art. It became Walker and Cockerell in 1900 and later Emery Walker Ltd. The half-plate glass positives for the set of five are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery together with cabinet-card prints from four of them using similar images ie from the same or almost identical negatives. William Morris visited the Isle of Man in April 1880, possibly in connection with plans to restore St Germain’s Cathedral, as mentioned in the annual report of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1880.
Record ID:00053
Dimensions:width — 80.0cm.
height — 21.5cm.
height — 21.5cm.
Classification:Pictures