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A blossoming collection
We are delighted to be representing the work of Reginald A. Malby, one of the finest horticultural photographers of his era, whose company established itself as the official photographer of the Royal Horticultural Society in the early years of the 20th century.
Malby, born in 1882, was introduced to the profession by his father, Henry Thomas Malby. They descended from a long line of artists, inventors, musicians and entrepreneurs, which included Malby & Sons, the famous globe-makers, and Walter N. Malby, a pioneer in the infancy of photography.
Reginald Malby himself soon became the youngest Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, the highest distinction awarded, and his company, Reginald A. Malby & Co., led by his wife Eleanor after his death in 1924, attracted acclaim and commercial success. Eleanor’s award by the RHS in 1941 of the Veitch Memorial Medal for “outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement of the science and practice of horticulture” is testament to the esteem in which the company was held.
As well as working in black and white, often photographing plant species for the first time, Reginald Malby employed colourists who would painstakingly apply colour to the 5cm square images using a magnifying glass and fine paintbrushes. The results are beautiful and have an almost hypnotic quality.
Outside of the world of horticulture, Malby photographed rural buildings and landscapes and also took a small series of images of life on the streets of London in the 1900s which are wonderfully evocative.
For a selection of the best, please click here.
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