Over 120 years ago Henry John Elwes and Dr Augustine Henry embarked on an epic project to create a comprehensive catalogue of British and Irish Trees. This monumental work, Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, was published in a series of seven volumes, containing 2022 pages, 412 main photographs and recorded over 500 species of tree. This new book is first to focus on the previously overlooked role of photography in the original, including 64 litho-printed reproductions, contextualised with an essay by photographic historian and writer, Michael Pritchard.
The original project was underpinned by the Victorian fascination for recording the world, new printing techniques and the application of photography for art and science. The original volumes contained collotype reproductions of the photographs, selected for its wide tonal range and ability to retain detail. However, despite photography forming an integral part of the publication only a few photographers were credited. Those credited are from photographs supplied from the owners or neighbours of particular estates and Elwes’s typescript discussing the making of the book, only passing reference is made to the photography and to two photographers, Mr Wallis and Mr Foster. Closely directed by Elwes, the photographers would have approached their subjects objectively to record photographs taken to show the shape and characteristics of the tree, context, or occasional details. Scale was indicated with the inclusion of a person or group or people. Those same instructions regarding composition and approach were likely given to other uncredited photographers who contributed it an attempt to lend the project a typological uniformity.
Trees of Britain & Ireland
Taken from The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 1906-1913
by Henry John Elwes and Dr Augustine Henry
New essay by Michael Pritchard
Postscript by Björn Andersson
RRB PhotoBooks
November 2025
Softcover
240 x 320mm
portrait
Standard edition £35
Special edition £75 featuring a collotype print from the original book
https://rrbphotobooks.com/products/trees-of-great-britain-and-ireland
