| |
It is a great surprise to many that some of the leading pioneers in the early days of photography were Welsh. But the names of John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-1882), of Penlle'r-gaer, and Reverend Calvert Richard Jones (1802-1877), of Swansea, are becoming more well-known. Another among the early pioneers was Mary Dillwyn (1816-1906), sister of John Dillwyn Llewelyn, and one of the first women to work in the field.
The album contains forty two salt prints and one loose albumen print. Seventeen of the prints in the album are initialled MD and it is from these photographs that the album became known as the Mary Dillwyn Album. The photographs in the album date from ca.1853 and main themes: flower studies, fowl studies, and portraits reflect the interests of the family. The Dillwyn Llewelyns were a cultured family, especially interested in all aspects of scientific endeavour, and the pages of the album offer an insight on the individuals closely connected with intellectual life of south Wales and beyond. In addition there are a small number dealing with everyday life at Penlle'r-gaer, including two evocative images of building a snowman.
| |
