Books. SHARP: Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing | Ambrotype of a Woman Reading (late 1850s) This photo of a woman reading a book dates from the late 1850s. It can be dated by both the process used to capture the image and the image itself. The photo is a one-sixth-plate ambrotype and pinchbeck metal mount in an original embossed leather case. According to Wikipedia: “Ambrotypes first came into use in the early 1850s … By the late 1850s, the ambrotype was overtaking the daguerreotype in popularity; by the mid-1860s, the ambrotype itself was supplanted by the tintype and other processes.” This image has been hand-tinted—which was common—to add gold-painted jewelery. The hairstyle of the woman reading her book is distinctive. Her hair is parted in the centre, is severely-flat on top and sides, covering her ears, with straight sausage (or bottle) curls at her shoulders.
This style was popular with younger women in just prior to 1860. This is the oldest photo I have. The Reading Experience Database 1450-1945 (RED) Reading - Harvard Views of Readers, Readership, and Reading History. Robert DarntonCarl H. Pforzheimer University Professorand Director of the University Library Reading: Harvard Views of Readers, Readership, and Reading History is an online exploration of the intellectual, cultural, and political history of reading as reflected in the historical holdings of the Harvard Libraries. For Internet users worldwide, Reading provides unparalleled digital access to a significant selection of unique source materials: For researchers, teachers, and students who may not have ready access to extensive historical collections, Reading provides an inspired opportunity to participate more fully in this rapidly expanding research area. Reading is made possible with generous support from Arcadia. Bibliopolis. Archive of British Publishing and Printing.
We hold many collections relating to the British book industry. These form a valuable resource for the study of all aspects of book production and printing. As well as the collections listed below, our Rare books and Authors' papers are useful for researchers into book history. Archives of publishing or printing firms Companies represented include: There may be restrictions on access to some of these collections. Other collections relevant to book and printing history The Department of Typography and Graphic Communication holds further resources for the study of book production. FOB (Firms out of Business) Information about vanished publishing concerns, literary agencies, and similar firms can be found on FOB (Firms out of Business), a database of publishing, literary and other firms out of business. Back to Archives. Reading Europe.