Album of Dublin and Co. Wicklow -- 27 views

Dublin: W. Lawrence. Very Good. 1880s. Hardcover. Accordion album of views of Dublin and surrounding Wicklow County, Ireland from the 1860s-1880s; lithographs after photographs bound in cloth covered boards with gilt decoration. Cloth faded along bottom of front board, some chipping, cloth at spine internally reinforced, archival tissue along some folds. Views in very nice condition [14] plates on 1 folded leaf : illustrations ; 19 cmOCLC 316834719 (only five locations cited) "Printed in Germany" On the 20th March 1865 at the age of 24 William Mervin Lawrence (1840-1932) opened a Photographic Studio opposite the G. P .O. at Sackville street Dublin. Over the years the studio successfully photographed the length and breadth of Ireland from Howth Head (Co.Dublin) in the East, to Achill Head (Co.Mayo) in the West ,and on to Malin Head (Co.Donegal) in the North and finally to Mizen Head (Co.Cork) in the South. William Lawrence was not himself a photographer, but an early entrepreneur. He opened his Studio in his mother’s toy and fancy-goods shop. opposite the G.P.O Dublin. At that time there was great interest in Studio Portraits, After losing an arm, he then employed an assistant photographer. His brother, John Fortune Lawrence, was interested in stereo photographs, so William took over the sales of the very popular stereo photographs. That was the start of the “Lawrence Collection”. In 1880 when the dry plate process came in William Lawrence employed a team of printers, artists (colourists and retouches).and around that time, Robert French joined the Lawrence Studio, and he worked his way up as printer, artist, and then Chief photographer in charge of the 30,000 glass plates. William Lawrence produced about 11 albums as follows: Dublin City and County; Counties of Wicklow and Wexford; The Lakes of Killarney & Glengarriff; Cork, Blarney, & Queenstown (Cobh); Belfast & the County Down; Glens and the Coast of Antrim; Giant’s Causeway, Portrush, and Antrim County; Armagh and its Environs; Lough Erne, Bundoran and the Donegal Highlands; West of Ireland, Galway, Connemara, and Achill Island; Irish Life and Characters. Rear endpaper has the stamp of "Wm. Carson, bookseller, 51 Grafton St., Dublin" William Carson was operating in from 1860s through 1880s (1862 Thom's Almanac & 1881 Sunday Closings & 1889 Irish Times). It later became Carson Bros., Booksellers No. 7 Grafton. .