Album containing 53 original photographs, with captions, by William Nichols, Farm Bailiff at Felix Hall, the country house of Sir Thomas Burch Western.

An evocative collection of photographs, in which, unusually, a Victorian servant has been allowed to make a record of his masters, their country house, and household. The 53 photographs are laid down on 17 leaves of a contemporary stitched 4to album. In fair condition, lightly-aged, and with the brown marbled wraps of the album detached and separated from one another. Three of the photographs are lacking from the album. The present album was the subject of an appreciative essay by Simon Houfe in Country Life, 27 May 1976, titled 'A Household Preserved | William Nichols, Bailiff and Photographer'. Ten of Bryce's photographs are reproduced in the article, and while mention is made of a collection of '3in square negatives' discovered at Felix Park in the 1930s, 'carefully wrapped in newspapers dated 1862', some of the illustrations in the article are clearly reproduced from the present item, which is referred to as 'the surviving album', which 'seems to have been presented to the family as a record of work. The prints are pasted into a modest exercise book, the identity of each sitter appearing underneath in a literate but not practised script; more personal descriptions were added later by Lady Western'. The first photograph in the album is of Richard Buckner's painting of Lady Western. It is captioned by Nichols 'Mrs. Western', and in a second hand 'daughter of William Bushby Esq. of Kirkmichael Dumfrieshire N.B. & 29 Great Cumberland Place London. She became Lady Western when her husband was made a Baronet in 1864'. The next page carries four views of Felix Hall, and the following six pages include fifteen photographs of statuary at Felix Hall, beginning with a 'Canova Venus' and ending with a sarcophagus and other antiquitites. (Houfe writes that 'Sir Thomas even lent his remarkable collection of antique marbles and statues for the bailiff's camera.') There are other photographs of the house and surroundings, but the main interest resides in the studies of the Western family, their friends and servants. These range from the Member of Parliament Charles Ducane to the severe-looking governess Miss Meek (described by Lady Western as 'Charlie's Governess'), taking in 'Emperor. T. C. C. W's pony' and a group photograph of the 'Infant-school, Kelveden'. The last four photographs (all four reproduced with Houfe's article) are perhaps the best of all. They are captioned by Lady Western 'The Bailiff [i.e. Nichols himself], Gardiner & out & indoor Household of F. H.'