Herbert Bell was the son of Ambleside chemist Thomas Bell. Surrounded by chemicals as a child, he would have been familiar with many of the substances used in photography from an early age. He was apprenticed as a chemist but soon moved to full-time photography opening up a studio in Market Square. His early years in business were spent as a studio portrait photographer but by the 1880s landscapes and buildings had taken over as his main interest.

One of Bell’s lasting achievements is the complete photographic record of farms and manorial halls in the county, entitled ‘Examples of Early Domestic and Military Architecture.’ He concentrated on the materials used in construction, many of which have since disappeared, and his pictures are one of the few points of reference.

Bell is also famed for capturing not just the landscape of the Lakes, but the working people who lived there. Unlike Brunskill who specialized in the studio portrait of the tourist, Bell photographed the people he saw around him every day such as farmers and shopkeepers. His skill was recognized by the publishing industry and he was approached by George, Allens and Unwin to prepare images as illustrations for their books on John Ruskin. His photographs are still used as illustrations by writers today.

Bell is also recognized for his experimental attempts such as the cloud studies over Windermere (on display in the introduction section). Honorary Librarian of the Armitt from 1912-1946, much of his archive and photographic equipment is housed here.

It was thought very little of Brunskill’s work survived but in 2001 the Armitt Trust acquired over 17,000 of Brunskill’s glass plate negatives from the 1860s-1906. The collection is in almost perfect condition with very little decay or damage, and images taken from the negatives are on display here for the first time. Nearly all named and dated, the studio work of Brunskill is an amazing testament to the popularity of the studio portrait with tourists coming from far and wide.

We hope to discover more about the life and work of Brunskill as we catalogue the collection and would welcome any information about the photographer.

In 1894 Charles and his brother James went into business together buying premises on Rydal Road. James concentrated on portraits, sustaining a decent income, whilst Charles developed techniques out of doors. The Walmsley brothers were advocates of the photogravure technique whereby photographic images were transferred to a metal plate using a series of tiny holes. Multiple prints could then be made from the one plate. His prints sold locally but were also popular in department stores in the major cities.

Famously, President Woodrow Wilson had a wall of Walmsley photographs in the White House and, as a result, he became popular in America winning prizes.