UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF 19TH CENTURY BRISTOL DISCOVERED IN ALBUM

The small album of twenty-one photographs was discovered during a routine valuation in our Bristol a few weeks ago, and are set to sell for hundreds when they go under the hammer later this month.

The photographs were believed to have been taken by a single photographer, around 1890 to 1900 and show previously unseen views of St Augustine’s Parade, The Centre, The Victoria Rooms, Clifton and Bristol Bridge. In them, streets are seen to be busy with shoppers and the only traffic visible is horse-drawn carts, bicycles and trams.

‘It’s so wonderful to see discover these images,’ says auctioneer Rob Dunigan. ‘They are literal snapshots of our past – the surroundings and buildings are all very familiar, but the people, shops and vehicles show a very unfamiliar view. There are people here just going about their daily business – a policeman directing horses, a nanny rushing children to school, businessmen in their top hats. They are visual time capsules of our city. Photography was still relatively expensive at this time, so these are probably the only known photographs of some of these people.’

The small album was discovered amongst a box of mixed postcards and other paperwork when the owner brought them in for valuation, having nearly thrown them in the bin the previous day.

The photographs are set to go under the hammer on March 4^th in our Antiques & Collectables auction, and their estimate is £200-300. The full catalogue can be found on our catalogue page.