Arthur Hugh Clough original period platinum print photograph.
This photograph of Arthur Hugh Clough is an original period silver print from the collection of Frederick Hill Meserve, dating circa 1913 or earlier. It was part of a full volume of photographs produced by Meserve, nearly all of which are direct glass plate negative contact prints. The photograph measures 2.125 x 3.25 inches and is set into the original paper frame, with corners set into slits, making it removable. The paper frame, approximately 2.5 x 4 inches, features an original annotation in the lower border, written in pencil by Meserve.
Fine condition.
Arthur Hugh Clough
Arthur Hugh Clough (January 1, 1819 – November 13, 1861) was a prominent English poet and educationalist known for his progressive and often skeptical views on religion and society. Born in Liverpool, Clough spent much of his childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, before returning to England to attend Rugby School and later Balliol College, Oxford. He was a close friend of Matthew Arnold and heavily influenced by the social and religious debates of his time. Clough's notable works include "The Bothie of Tober-na-Vuolich" (1848) and "Amours de Voyage" (1858), which reflect his innovative use of narrative verse and exploration of contemporary issues. Despite a relatively small body of work, his poetry is admired for its intellectual depth, moral questioning, and lyrical quality. He also held various academic posts and worked alongside Florence Nightingale, contributing significantly to educational reform and public health initiatives.
Frederick Hill Meserve
Born in 1865, Frederick H. Meserve was the son of William Neal Meserve, a Civil War veteran. He began collecting Civil War era photographs in the 1890s to illustrate his father's war diary. Meserve became a prominent collector and historian of photographs from this era, especially photographs of Abraham Lincoln. He later collaborated with historian Carl Sandburg to publish "The Photographs of Abraham Lincoln" in 1944.
Meserve was not only a collector of Civil War photographs but also acquired entire contents of photography studios, including those of Matthew Brady, Sarony, and Nadar. In 1913, he made four sets of his photographs, mostly printed from the original negatives, at a cost of $413 (equivalent to approximately $9500 today). These sets were made for The Morgan Library, The New York Historical Society, and eventually, Harvard. Various smaller groups of images were issued over time, but only these four large sets of his photographs exist, all mounted and described in Meserve's hand on folio pages.
Provenance: This particular photograph comes from one of those four full sets and was produced prior to March 17, 1913. The original collection included the typed letter providing payment to Meserve from Charles W. Turner & Co., Charles Turner, N.Y. Stock Exchange dated March 17, 1913.
Authentication:
Includes a full letter of authenticity from JG Autographs, Inc.
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Reference sku: 11617 1396286-1