In our line of work we see lots of old photograph albums, some of which are better than others. A couple of years ago, we received an email asking if we would be interested in representing images from, "a large number of 1920s photo albums which are full of really good photographs my grandfather took. His interests were varied but the photos were mostly in the UK, some in Egypt, and include lots of architectural shots and people. All photos are captioned clearly."

The email was from Robert Talbot Rice, and the photo albums in question had been compiled by his grandfather, Major Harry Talbot Rice (1889-1948). Every page of each huge album was crammed with photographs, most annotated with names of places and people. We were immediately struck by the excellent quality, their varied subject matter and what a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the period they were.

Major Harry Talbot Rice was born 27 July 1889 and married the Hon. Blanche Marion Devereux, daughter of Robert Devereux, 17th Viscount Hereford, in 1927. He gained the rank of Major in the Welsh Guards, and we've been delighted to find him and his family occasionally popping up within pages of The Tatler and The Sketch which we hold here, including his wedding in 1927, at a royal garden party in 1948, and his son David's wedding in 1957. David, as a jolly, chubby-cheeked little boy, is a regular in the photo albums, often snapped with his sister, Cecil Penelope, and a cousin, as they play together in the grounds of Oddington House, the family home in Gloucestershire. We see them making snowmen, pushing toy prams around, or pestering a gardener as he rolls the lawn. As well as these family snaps, there are plenty of topographical views, both of picture perfect villages in the local area and places further afield, from crumbling Welsh castles to London Zoo. Major Talbot Rice seemed to have a particular interest in church architecture and interiors, so there are some fascinating pictures of carvings and fonts from various ancient country churches, plus some lovely views of country houses including Casewick Hall, Kirby Hall and Hampton Court Castle near Leominister. We also rather like those marking festive occasions with a nice example of an early 1930s Christmas tree in the background.

The collection is particularly meaningful as this is one of the last that our late colleague Gill worked on. Gill captioned 1751 images in total, 765 of which are now online. This is a long term project, and we still have around 1000 images from the Harry Talbot Rice collection to scan and process, so do look out for future updates. For time being, you can browse this magical brush with the past here.

Do get in touch to find out how our library can help with your latest project. You can reach us either by emailing pictures@maryevans.com or calling us on 020 8318 0034.