[Charles Landseer]

Art Historical Context

This albumen silver print from the 1860s offers a striking portrait of Charles Landseer, captured by the London-based photographic partnership of John and Charles Watkins. At roughly .2 by 6.3 centimeters, the compact size reflects the carte de visite format that swept through Victorian society, enabling affordable and portable images of notable figures to be collected and exchanged like calling cards. The Watkins brothers specialized in such portraits of artists, writers, and public personalities, employing the albumen silver process—a technique that used egg white to create crisp, richly to...

About the Artist

John and Charles Watkins · 1840–1875

**John and Charles Watkins: Pioneers of Victorian Portrait Photography** John Watkins (1823–1874) and his younger brother Octavius Charles Watkins (1836–1882) were prominent British portrait photographers whose collaborative studio captured the luminaries of Victorian Britain.) Born in Raglan, Monmouthshire, Wales, John began his career around 1840, establishing a studio at 34 Parliament Street i...