Francis Bedford was one of the most important 19th century landscape photographers. He was invited to document the tour by the Prince of Wales (late Edward VII), an expedition planned by Prince Albert before his death. This was probably the first overseas Royal tour accompanied by an official photographer. As a member of the Royal entourage, Bedford was permitted to photograph Christian and Muslim holy sites previously restricted as sacrosanct. BedfordÂ’s photographs represent a unique visual diary of the tour and an important architectural and archaeological record of the Middle East at that point in time. The collection will be displayed at the opening exhibition of the new Library of Birmingham in 2013.

Provenance

Private collections; Herman and Wilkinson, Dublin; Eric O'Hare, 2010. This collection has been vetted by the Art Loss Register.