An American Journey The Photography of William England

Born in London in 1830, William England spent most of his formative years as a daguerro-typist. As this technique fell out of fashion in the 1850s he abandoned portraiture and, in 1854, joined forces with the newly formed London Stereoscopic Company. As the LSC's chief photographer, England traveled all over Europe. In 1859 he journeyed to the USA and captured the first American views to be published abroad commercially. His atmospheric compositions show early attempts to conquer the North American landscape: the stations and locomotives of the Great Western Railway, bridges under construction over the Niagara Falls, and the extraordinary floating baths in New York harbor. The men and women in his scenes participate in this conquest, climbing waterfalls and boating on the lakes at Niagara, or watching Blondin's famous crossing of the Falls on a tightrope.