Queenstown, now Cobh, as it would have looked to hundreds of thousands of Irish seeking a better life in the New World.
Three volumes of photographs from the Lawrence Collection sold to a Chicago dealer in the 19th century come up at Dolan’s Bank Holiday Sunday sale at Kelly’s Hotel, Rosslare on May 3. There is a volume of Co. Wexford scenes, one of County Wicklow and one of Ireland in general including a view of Queenstown and Cork Harbour. Dolan’s understand that the photographer was a Mr. ffrench working for the Lanwrence Studio. Each volume is estimated at 400-500.
In 1865 at the age of 24 William Mervin Lawrence opened a photographic studio opposite the G. P .O. at Sackville Street (now O’Connell St.) in Dublin. Over the years the studio successfully photographed the length and breadth of Ireland from Howth Head in the East to Achill Head in the West, and from Malin Head in the North to Skibbereen the South. The collection consists of 40,000 glass plates mainly from the period 1880-1914, but some plates go back to 1870.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 24, 2015)
UPDATE: The three volumes sold for 350 each.