Ely Cathedral: Presbytery, from an Engraving
c. 1891
Medium
Lantern slide
Dimensions
8.2 × 8.2 cm (3 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
photograph
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
215593
Art Historical Context
Step into the luminous world of Frederick H. Evans, a British photographer renowned for his images of Gothic architecture. Created around 1891, *Ely Cathedral: Prestery, from an Engr* captures the intricate presbytery of England's majestic Ely Cathedral, a 12th-century Norman masterpiece famed for its soaring vaults and lantern tower. Evans, a master of Pictorialism, transformed this architectural gem—likely derived from a detailed engraving—into a lantern slide, emphasizing subtle tonal gradations and spiritual ambiance over mere documentation. This 8.2 × 8.2 cm glass slide, part of the Art ...
About the Artist
Frederick H. Evans · 1853–1943
Frederick H. Evans was born in London on 26 June 1853 and lived there his entire life, dying just two days before his ninetieth birthday in 1943. His first career was as a bookseller, operating a shop in Cheapside where he became a well-connected figure in London's intellectual life, counting the playwright George Bernard Shaw and the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley among his friends and customers. H...