ALBUMEN

An albumen print, mounted on a piece of plain white card. Dimensions of print: 94 x 57 mm. Dimensions of card: 104 x 64 mm. Aged and faded. The card is entirely blank, apart from the date '1853' written at the head of the reverse. Clearly an early portrait of black people: if the date on the reverse is correct it pre-dates by a year the patenting of the carte to visite by Disdéri. The couple are seated side by side, gazing slightly to the right of the camera.

Albumen print, 14.5 x 19.5 cm, with arched top, laid down on original cream backing paper, 18.5 x 24.5 cm, with border to photograph and company details all printed in gold. A good photograph, showing Buckstone staring at the viewer, while seated in a plush chair at a writing table with tablecloth, his right hand holding a pen over a piece of writing paper. The print is in good condition, on slightly grubby backing. Buckstone has signed 'John Baldwin-Buckstone', in black ink at the foot of the mount.

Stamped on front pastedown 'LE ROY & CIE. | DECORATION GENERALE | 58, Avenue Fonsny, 58 | TEL. SABLON 2061'. In a landscape 12mo (roughly 12 x 17 cm) album of 29 leaves, bound in coarse brown cloth. The majority of the photographs are in good condition though lightly aged, with around 20 showing varying degrees of damage involving staining and chipping. The album itself is worn and aged, in a binding heavily-worn at spine and corners, and with spotted and aged leaves.