[Frederick Taylor] 1860s

This is a photograph of Frederick Taylor made by John and Charles Watkins, a London photography studio, in the mid-19th century. Photography in this period was a rapidly developing technology, but it was also expensive and difficult to master. Watkins studio was one of the most successful in London, and they specialized in portraits of wealthy and influential people. The studio was located near Parliament, and many of their clients were politicians, aristocrats and members of the upper class. Taylor’s dress and the formal pose suggests he was a man of some means and social standing, typical of the studio's clientele. The photograph carries cultural associations of Victorian England. The institutions of family, class, and empire underpinned this photograph. Historians use a range of archival resources, such as studio records, letters, and diaries, to discover the political function of portraiture.