The Country Life archives are mostly dedicated to the architecture and gardens of the great houses of the United Kingdom and Ireland, it also holds some unusual, but delightful, collections from overseas.
One such, and somewhat surprising, set of negatives and prints are those commissioned in the early 20th Century from the world renowned architectural photographer Frederick H. Evans. Evans was a perfectionist. After years of practice, the diminutive, bespectacled, former bookseller, who counted George Bernard Shaw and Aubrey Beardsley among his friends, decided in 1899 to become a photographer.
Obsessed with obtaining a true, honest image that projected the integrity, size and majesty of his architectural subjects, his atmospheric images were always printed direct from his perfect negatives (any imperfect ones were immediately stamped on by their exacting creator) without any darkroom manipulation. And he always developed his prints using the costly, but ethereal, platinum process.
Edward Hudson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Country Life — himself a deeply fastidious man — was so impressed by Evans’s work that he granted him a roving commission for the magazine in early 1905 to photograph architecture, ‘when and how I like, so long as I give ‘em of my artistic best’. The following year, Evans convinced Hudson he should document the châteaux of France for the magazine.
In July 1906, armed with his sizeable, just post-Victorian camera equipment, mobile darkroom and his modern-day wildlife photographer ability to sit for hours or even days (so long as the owner was willing), to ensure the right angle and, most importantly, the right light, Evans set off to our European neighbours. He returned again in 1907 to continue his work. He travelled first by boat, and then, unbelievably, by bicycle, around France, photographing some of the country’s grandest buildings for Country Life.
Below are just a few examples of his work from this remarkable assignment.
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, Normandy
Château de Boursault, Marne
A view along the steep drive to the exterior of Château de Boursault in Marne. The château was built by Madame Clicquot Ponsardin (the Veuve Cliquot) between 1843 and 1850.
Royal Château of Blois, Loire-et-Cher
Gargoyles keep a watch over the town from the facade of the Francis I part of the château.
Château de Beaumesnil, Normandy
The drawbridge was firmly up when Evans turns up to photograph Beaumesnil.
Château Chambord, Val de Loire
The largest château in the Loire Valley. Here, an interior view of the mind-boggling, Escher-esque staircase.
Château de Pierrefonds, Oise
The Upper Hall with the Nine Valiant Ladies gracing the magnificent chimney-piece.
Château de Saint-Aignan, Val de Loire
Evans used long exposure to perfectly show off the ceiling — an effect that also created the ghostly wisps of light emanating from the window.
Château de Montrésor, Indre-et-Loire
Château Josselin, Brittany
This medieval castle’s dining room contains an equestrian statue of its 14th century, Breton soldier owner, Olivier V de Clisson.
Château de Châteaudun, Eure-et-Loir
An intricately carved staircase hidden inside the castle’s walls.
The Country Life Image Archive contains more than 150,000 images documenting British culture and heritage, from 1897 to the present day. An additional 50,000 assets from the historic archive are scheduled to be added this year — with completion expected in Summer 2025. To search and purchase images directly from the Image Archive, please register here.
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