Roger Fenton

salt print, numbered 'H. 38' in the negative, signed in ink on the image, on a paper mount, numbered 'H. No. 38' in pencil on the mount, mounted again to a purple silk-backed album leaf, with caption and date 'Roslin [sic] Chapel 24 September 1860' in ink on the mount, 1856

Originally in a travel album compiled in the 1850s-60s by a European nobleman

Christie's South Kensington, 30 April 1997, Sale 7651, Lot 29

Grading this salt print on a scale of 1 to 10 - a 10 being a print with rich, deep brown dark tones, and highlights that retain all of their original detail - this print rates a strong 10. The photograph's tones are a rich red-brown and creamy, warm white. The print delivers a great amount of detail, from the texture of the individual stones and carvings, to the leaded glass windows, to the solitary figure in the doorway. While there is minimal yellowing along the lower right edge of the image, no apparent fading is visible. The print is mounted to trimmed thin card with irregular edges, and it is mounted again to a large album leaf that is backed with purple silk. The primary mount is separating along the left and lower edges from the secondary mount. There is a resultant 1/2-inch stress tear on the secondary mount adjacent to the caption and date. Moderate foxing is visible on both mounts but does not appear to affect the image. The secondary mount is irregularly trimmed along the upper edge. It is soiled overall, and there is dampstaining along the right edge. The vibrant purple silk on the reverse is faded along the left edge and somewhat jagged along the trimmed upper edge.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Roger Fenton had established his reputation with photographs of Crimea (Lots 129 and 131), when he made this view of the South Porch of Rosslyn Chapel, in September 1856. The Rosslyn Chapel, seven miles south of Edinburgh, had been built by William St. Clair, 11th Baron of Rosslyn, as his family’s private house of worship in the 15th century.  It was nearly destroyed during the Scottish Reformation, and was later used as a stable for Oliver Cromwell’s troops.  By the 1800s, the derelict state of the late Gothic structure had inspired poets and artists alike.  Hill and Adamson visited the chapel in the 1840s, taking a photograph from a vantage point similar to the one in the Fenton photograph offered here.  Among Fenton's numerous views of Rosslyn Chapel, the present image is distinguished by its profusion of textural detail, a rich tonality, and the central figure in the doorway, which Fenton rarely included in his architectural studies.

Although his career in photography lasted little more than a decade, Fenton, a founding member of the Royal Photographic Society, exhibited widely.  Images of Rosslyn Chapel were included in the First Exhibition of the Photographic Society of Scotland (1856); the Photographic Society of London (1857); and the Exhibition of Art Treasures at Manchester (1857), where they were praised as ‘excellent examples of photography on a large scale, and some in which a degree of ingenuity in obtaining a position must have been required.’

The present photograph, on an album leaf with a purple silk doublure on the reverse, was originally in a travel album compiled in the late 1850s by a European nobleman.  The caption and date 'Roslin [sic] Chapel 24 September 1860' on the mount likely refer to the original owner's visit to the site.  Fenton’s view of Melrose Abbey, three photographs of Constantinople by James Robertson, and various images of Florence, Seville, and Rome were also included in the album.