With Francis Frith on the Nile in 1859 and his legacy of fine pictures

I grew up with stories of pyramids, pharaohs, the odd burial curse and much more.

Even now it is a civilisation which draws you in whether it be Tutankhamen, the Great Pyramid or the lives of the ordinary work a day people.

And I suppose this may have been one of the reasons why Francis Firth, a 19th century photographer and explorer spent time there.

He travelled across the Middle East as well as Britain and recorded on film what he saw.

Many found their way onto his postcards and the company he established in 1859 prospered until the family sold the business in 1968.

Today the collection still exists as Francis Frith and contains over 365,000 photographs depicting some 7,000 towns and villages throughout Britain – all taken between 1860 and 1970.*

I have chosen just three which came from a description of the man and the company on Wikipedia.

All were taken during the 19th century and remain a vivid record of the country at the time.

The Francis Frith collection is a wonderful resource, and one that grows as people contribute their memories of the places photographed over the last century.

This I think makes it more than just a place to search for past scenes of buy old postcards.

So even if you are not interested in pyramids, boats on the Nile or the sand and camels there will be much to see and enjoy.











Pictures; by Francis Frith, from Wikipedia Commons

*Francis Frith, http://www.francisfrith.com/uk/