‘An Age of Confidence: Photographs by Bedford Lemere & Co’ is a new exhibition hosted by Wirral’s Lady Lever Art Gallery, showcasing the work of a leading English firm of architectural photographers between 1870 and 1930. Opening on 27th January and running until 7th May, the exhibition features 43 fascinating framed images giving a deep insight into a vanished world. The Lady Lever Art Gallery is located in Port Sunlight Village, Wirral, England.

Press Release

AN AGE OF CONFIDENCE

Photographs by Bedford Lemere & Co – Lady Lever Art Gallery 

A century ago Britain led the world with booming industries, powerful commercial links and a supreme navy – all reflected in the remarkable photographs of Bedford Lemere & Co. 
Liverpool was the second city of the British Empire and its bustling docks, crowded offices and noisy factories closely echoed London and other ports and cities.

An Age of Confidence: Photographs by Bedford Lemere & Co 27 January – 7 May 2012 at the Lady Lever Art Gallery features 43 fascinating framed images giving a deep insight into a vanished world.
London–based Bedford Lemere & Co was the leading architectural photography company in England for 50 years. Its clients included many of the top architects, designers, industrialists and retailers of the day.

The wealth of late Victorian and Edwardian Liverpool often brought the company’s photographers to Merseyside – it was the firm’s second-most photographed location.

Bedford Lemere, who established his company in 1861, and his son Harry were outstanding technical photographers. They and their small team produced images of exceptional quality, depth and sharpness with large glass plate negatives.

They were innovative and pioneered a new photographic genre by exploiting the market for images of new buildings reflecting their high quality of construction and design.

All the images in the exhibition are from the Bedford Lemere & Co Collection held in the public archive of English Heritage.

Sandra Penketh, head of Lady Lever Art Gallery, says: “These brilliant photographs demonstrate clearly how the reputation of the company rested above all on the quality of its work. They have a depth and clarity which invites the viewer to enter.”

Bedford Lemere & Co’s photographs reflect the air of confidence that permeated most sections of British society – rich and poor, young and old. Nothing seemed impossible and the buildings and structures of the period reflected that sense of certainty.

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