Bremner Frederick (2 results)

Paperback. 2013. First edition. A fine copy that has been SIGNED (not inscribed) by the author.

First and only contemporary edition of this renowned visual record of British South Asian regiments at the turn of the century; scarce, an edition of perhaps 60 copies, only five locations noted on WorldCat, four copies recorded at auction, this an unusually well-preserved copy. Frederick "Fred" Bremner (1863-1941) was born in Aberchirder, Scotland, the son of a professional photographer, who joined his father's studio on leaving school at 13. In 1882, he was invited to join his brother-in-law G. W. Lawrie, who was establishing himself in a studio in Lucknow: "My father received a letter. offering me an appointment, which was accepted. Naturally to me the day was one of rejoicing - to go out to India and work there, travel and see the world, and you may have it instilled into the mind that you are out to make a fortune. That may be so, but more of that later" (Bremner, p. 2). Lawrie equipped his younger relative with a studio tent and despatched him into the field, first to Cawnpore, then Allahabad, Ferozepore [now Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Firozpur], and thence to his studio at Nainital, "a charming spot. the summer residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces and most of the Government officials" (ibid. p. 9), and the military stations at Ranikhet and Almorah. Subsequently. Bremner made visits to Agra, Benares [Varanasi], and Karachi; and to the military stations in the Himalayas, Kasauli, Subathu, and Mussoorie. Thus, Bremner extended the range of the "tourist" photographer geographically, organising extensive expeditions across the north-west frontier regions and even into Afghanistan; technically and aesthetically producing beautifully composed and executed plates of landscapes, historic sites, and the local peoples, these last being far superior to the "ethnographically" rigid types of most practitioners in the region. In 1889, after a brief break back in Britain, Bremner set up on his own, choosing to establish a studio initially in Karachi, which location was followed by, at various times, Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Mumbai. Commercially minded, he spotted an opening for souvenir albums recording the Indian service of regiments of the British Army, becoming skilful at group portraits, organized into the subsections of the unit, with great care paid to the detail of uniform and accoutrements. These attractively produced publications were most often produced from his studio in Quetta, the army's regional base. Evidently Bremner's military work had been noted and admired in high places, the present album arising from a commission issued by the commander-in-chief of the army in India. As part of the exercise to produce recruiting manuals for all of the various "martial races", Bremner was dispatched to obtain reference images of all of the current units of the Indian Army. The resulting portraits assembled here are striking for their startling clarity and almost emblematic quality. Most often taken in the clear light of the low early morning sun, in the empty, open spaces of parade grounds, the figures stand out "in bold relief" (ibid. p. 23) with remarkable three-dimensional solidity, tiny details of uniforms and the individuality of the soldiers, possess extraordinary crispness. The regimental groups are organized in such a way to exemplify the hierarchy of ranks, and to communicate their typical functions, while exhibiting the variety of equipment and accoutrements employed by different units. As photographic reference, Bremner's Types was conceived and executed with incomparable forethought, visual acuity, aesthetic judgement, and technical skill, and printed and bound to the highest standards available. "His work is now increasingly sought after by collectors and he is finally starting to achieve a well deserved, if belated fame, as one of the most accomplished practitioners of photography in British India" (Hugh Rayner, Preface, ibid., p. v). Fred Bremner, My Forty Years in India, 2007 edition with additional material; Mira Rai Waits, "Visualising Order: Photography and the Production of the Colonial Police in India", History of Photography, 45, 2021 - Issue 3-4. Landscape folio. Tissue-guarded carbon print portrait frontispiece of General Sir George Stewart White (248 x 293 mm) and 59 other similar carbon print plates, all mounted on linen-hinged light greenish grey heavy card mounts, detailed printed captions. Publisher's dark reddish brown half morocco, bevelled boards, spine with three sets of paired raised bands, each decorated with a gilt dotted roll, matching pebble-grain cloth sides, lettered in gilt on the front cover, sides and corners edged with paired gilt broad fillet and dotted roll, greenish white moiré endpapers, linen hinges, edges gilt. Slightly rubbed at the extremities, corners a little worn, colour neatly retouched in places, occasional light foxing to the mount cards, but overall an excellent copy.