Clifford in Spain. A photographer at the Court of Elizabeth II

Lee Fontanella

ISBN: 978-84-95241-06-1

Year: 1999

Pages: 338

Illustrations: 821

Binding: hardcover with dust jacket

Size: 30 x 30 cm

Published by: Madrid, Iberdrola and Ediciones El Viso

Charles Clifford (1819-1863) was one of the great masters of nineteenth-century photography, distinguished by his technical and stylistic innovations. He arrived in Spain from Great Britain in the mid-nineteenth century and, after a brief period dedicated to hot-air ballooning, found a receptive audience in Madrid. Queen Isabel II was his main client, commissioning commemorative albums of her official trips to various regions of Spain, which allowed him to photograph monuments, public works such as the Canal de Isabel II, and stunning landscapes. In addition to his documentary work, he was interested in capturing colorful figures along the way. Lee Fontanella, an expert on Clifford's work, focuses on royal commissions and his work as a portraitist of monuments. The book includes an exhaustive inventory of more than seven hundred photographs taken in Spain, becoming an invaluable tool for the country's historical memory.