Historic England acquires Collection Featuring Earliest and Finest Photographs of England

The Rosing Collection includes over 8,000 original black and white photographs of English architecture, landscapes and maritime history from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, when England was undergoing large-scale changes powered by industrialisation, urbanisation and developments in transport.

The photographs cover every English county and were taken by leading photographers of the time, including W.G. Campbell, William Russell Sedgefield, Henry William Verscholye, Samuel Smith of Wisbech, William J. Cox of Plymouth, James Mudd, and Samuel Buckle, among others. Alongside these are many photographs of England by the commercial firms of J. Valentine, George Washington Wilson, Francis Frith, and Francis Bedford. It includes unique early images by Linnaeus Tripe and John Wiggin of Ipswich.

The photographs reflect Janette Rosing's keen interest in England's landscapes, architecture and maritime history, depicting its distinctive coastal and inland landscapes, built heritage, ancient buildings and monuments, towns and villages, street life, and tall sailing ships.

The Rosing Collection is significant as the development of photography in this period was pivotal in the history of visual arts: a time that established photography as a legitimate art form, an important means of landscape recording, and a powerful tool for documenting the world.

Advances in photography allowed photographers to produce more sophisticated images and experiment with techniques and styles, while developments in transport enabled them to travel further afield from their home location. The collection contains examples of photographs produced by all the photographic processes of the era, including Calotype, Collodion, dry plate and platinum.

Janette Rosing (1942 to 2021) was a renowned photographic consultant, connoisseur, and collector who dedicated her life to studying and amassing a collection of 19th and early 20th century photographs.

Born and raised in London, Rosing began an obsession with historical photographs of England's past when she stumbled upon an image of Hartland Quay on the Devon coast before a storm ravaged it. This discovery sparked her fascination with depictions of England in old photographs, and she spent her life attending photograph fairs and auctions in pursuit of new acquisitions for her collection. Rosing's expertise in historical photography was widely recognised, and she provided consultancy services to institutions such as the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, international auction houses, and museums. In the pre-internet era, Rosing was a trusted advisor to collectors, overseas dealers and institutions regarding photographs offered in London salerooms. This collection is a testament to Janette Rosing's passion and commitment.

Main Image: A view across the River Thames of Paul’s Wharf and St Paul’s Pier from Bankside, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background. By George Washington Wilson, 1860 to 1900. © Historic England Archive. Janette Rosing Collection.