Publications

Carrying Off the Palaces: John Ruskin's Lost DaguerreotypesCarrying Off the Palaces: John Ruskin's Lost Daguerreotypes

By Ken Jacobson & Jenny Jacobson

The inspiration for this book was a remarkable discovery made by the authors at a small country auction in 2006. One lightly regarded lot was, in fact, a distressed mahogany box crammed with long-lost daguerreotypes - early photographs that had once belonged to John Ruskin, the great 19th-century art critic, writer, artist and social reformer. Assiduously taken, purchased or commissioned by Ruskin, the many scenes of Italy, France and Switzerland include the largest collection of daguerreotypes of Venice in the world and probably the earliest surviving photographs of the Alps. This trove has, at a stroke, more than doubled the number of Ruskin daguerreotypes extant.

Étude d’Après NatureÉtude d’Après Nature: 19th Century Photographs in Relation to Art

By Ken Jacobson
With an essay by Anthony Hamber

Étude d’Après Nature studies the relationship between 19th century photography and the art world. It is the first work to look in depth at the group of photographers who specialised in artists’ studies in the 19th century. These photographers worked during the period in which Impressionism flourished.

The Lovely Sea-ViewThe Lovely Sea-View... Which All London is now Wondering At

A Study of the Marine Photographs Published by Gustave Le Gray, 1856-1858
By Ken Jacobson

This work examines one of the most celebrated series of images in 19th century photography.

Odalisques & Arabesques: Orientalist Photography 1839-1925Odalisques & Arabesques: Orientalist Photography 1839-1925

By Ken Jacobson

This book represents the most comprehensive survey to date of nineteenth and early twentieth-century photography of both North Africa and the Middle East.