Customer Reviews

Lewis Carroll's Classic Photos of Children: 24 Cards (Card Books)

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The idea of publishing this selection of Lewis Carroll's photographs of his "child friends" is a perfectly fine one. The only drawback I can find is that there is only one picture of the very photogenic and beautiful Alexandra "Xie" Kitchin. She should be far better represented in this set of pictures.

Apart from this, the set gives us a nicely varied selection: The famous profile shot of Alice Liddell sitting sideways on a chair, pretty little Amy Hughes looking off dreamingly. Far from all of Carroll's child models smile, probaply due to the long time the exposure took back then, and the discomfort of holding the same facial expression for what must have feelt like a long time. One exception is the adorable little Beatrice Henley, who back in 1862 posed for the picture in this set. It is also refreshing to see Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson's pen name) very often breaking out of the traditional ways of posing: There is Dymphna Ellis standing on a ladder, looking off. Lying down, or even sleeping (or pretending to) is another favorite pose which Carroll liked, and that too is represented in this set. Those pictures has an true timeless charm which I, at times, find almost breathtakingly beautiful. Please let us have another set!

All 24 cards are printed on high-quality glossy paper. The color, font, look, and layout of this book makes it feel like something that came out several decades earlier - which fits the old photo theme of this book.

All the photos are beautiful in their own way and show the talent of the photographer. I found it interesting to study the eyes of the young ladies. Life was harsh back then and you can really feel that thru their eyes.

Great book for fans of Lewis Carroll and/or 19th century photography but also a nice book for those who want to get a "snapshot" of how life might have been before the turn of the twentieth century.

Nice pictures. I guess the children found it fun to pose for the more dramatic looking ones specially in those far off days when photography was so unfamiliar. The pictures have a real period charm, and are a contrast to the usual stiff Victorian photos. They are art not just photography.