Prince

As family photography became popular in the second half of the nineteenth century, the inclusion of the family dog in the picture became virtually de rigeur. This work features photographs of dogs and men, dogs and women, dogs and groups, dogs and dogs, and just simply dogs, offering insights into Victorian domestic arrangements and social mores.

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As family photography became increasingly popular in the second half of the nineteenth century, the inclusion of the family dog in the picture became virtually de rigeur. As this irresistible galere of canine crowd-pleasers testifies, dogs are not just man's best friends, they are also his finest and most willing photographic models. Libby Hall has been collecting photographs of dogs since the 1960s and from her enormous archive she has chosen a winning line-up. Some are hilarious, some moving, some are heartbreaking. These touching photographs of dogs and men, dogs and women, dogs and groups, dogs and dogs, and just simply dogs, offer insights into Victorian domestic arrangements and social mores. They open up new realms of fantasy: why were these photos taken, where and when were they taken and what happened next? But mostly these frozen moments capture the blissfully-requited passions of people and their pooches.