North Wales has been a popular tourist destination since the mid 1800s, partly because the ever-expanding railway network enabled people to access its seaside resorts, mountains and glens and also because early professional photographers, such as Francis Bedford, took remarkable pictures which were published as 'albumen prints', 'stereographs' (3D photos), 'magic lantern' projection slides and, in the early 1900s, postcards. In addition to these often overtly romantic images, guide books, such as 'Black's Guide to North ...
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North Wales has been a popular tourist destination since the mid 1800s, partly because the ever-expanding railway network enabled people to access its seaside resorts, mountains and glens and also because early professional photographers, such as Francis Bedford, took remarkable pictures which were published as 'albumen prints', 'stereographs' (3D photos), 'magic lantern' projection slides and, in the early 1900s, postcards. In addition to these often overtly romantic images, guide books, such as 'Black's Guide to North Wales', advised travellers arriving by train where to stay, what to do and see; provided historical information and recommended scenic walks. Together, the photographs and guide book form a visual and written record which enables us to follow in the footsteps of our Victorian ancestors and, hopefully, share their excitement and wonder. This 68 page booklet reproduces the relevant sections of Black's Guide, published in 1897, and thirty photographs, most of which were taken between 1880 and 1920, owned by the Keasbury-Gordon Photograph Archive. The pictures and text complement each other and enable us to travel back in time to visit this romantic, dramatic, glorious corner of Great Britain.
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