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Godfrey Bingley Photographic Archive

Archive Collection: MS 1788 Contains records with digital media

Please note

This item may not be available for use as the collection is currently being processed by the Special Collections team. See the Access and usage section below for further details.

Details

Type of record: Archive

Title: Godfrey Bingley Photographic Archive

Level: Collection

Classmark: MS 1788

Creator(s): Bingley, Godfrey (1842-1927)()

Date(s): 1887-1913

Language: English

Size and medium: glass plate negatives

Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/12653

Collection group(s): Godfrey Bingley Photographic Archive

Description

This extensive collection (about 10,000 images) was donated to the University in 1913 by Godfrey Bingley himself and is an archive of his life's work.


The collection comprises black and white images from the glass plate negatives produced by the photographer. Spanning the years 1884-1913 (when he gave up photography due to failing eyesight) the images cover a wide range of subjects. There are many Yorkshire scenes, including places such as Kirkstall Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Headingley, Bolton Abbey and Scarborough. However, the collection also covers the rest of the UK and some of Europe, America and the West Indies.


Professor P.F. Kendall, in accepting the gift in 1913, described the archive as 'probably the most magnificent collection ever made of lantern slides, illustrating architecture, archaeology, geology and scenery in all parts of England, but especially Yorkshire...'

A particularly noteworthy feature of the collection is the inclusion of Bingley's notebooks in which he detailed the place and date of each shot.

Biography or history

This extensive collection (about 10,000 images) was donated to the University in 1913 by Bingley himself and is an archive of his life's work.


Spanning the years 1884-1913 (when he gave up photography due to failing eyesight) the images cover a wide range of subjects. There are many Yorkshire scenes, including places such as Kirkstall Abbey, Fountains Abbey, Headingley, Bolton Abbey and Scarborough. However, the collection also covers the rest of the UK and some of Europe, America and the West Indies.


Professor P.F. Kendall, in accepting the gift in 1913, described the archive as 'probably the most magnificent collection ever made of lantern slides, illustrating architecture, archaeology, geology and scenery in all parts of England, but especially Yorkshire...'


A particularly noteworthy feature of the collection is the inclusion of Bingley's notebooks in which he detailed the place and date of each shot.


Godfrey Bingley Chronology: 3 July 1842, Godfrey Bingley born in Skinner Lane, Leeds; 1849, living in 4 Cowper Street; April 1854, moved to Grove Mill, Headingley, the home of his maternal grandfather with whom his father went into business as a carpet yarn spinner; 14 April 1858, went to learn the business of an engineer with Uncle John Bingley at Harper Street Foundry, Leeds; May 1858, moved to Thorneville, Headingley Lane.

Access and usage

Access

This part of the collection is fully accessible and not subject to protection under the Data Protection Act

Material in this section is unavailable on conservation grounds.

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