eishiya reviewed Panoramas of Lost London by Davies, Philip
Great art reference, embiggened
5 stars
I was hesitant to buy Panoramas of Lost London because many of the photographs are repeats from Lost London, but I'm glad I did. The enlargements are transformative, making details visible that were difficult or impossible to see in the smaller prints in the earlier book. In reviewing Lost London, I marvelled at the signage being readable, but here, you can also read many of the posters and adverts.
The printing quality is excellent as ever, and the binding opens fairly flat, making it a perfect visual reference book. The book is very large and each spread contains only 1-2 images, so image size is not a problem the way it is in many other photo books - in fact, the size is a problem in that I can't fit this book in my workspace when it's open! The captions are interesting, though the information is largely the same as …
I was hesitant to buy Panoramas of Lost London because many of the photographs are repeats from Lost London, but I'm glad I did. The enlargements are transformative, making details visible that were difficult or impossible to see in the smaller prints in the earlier book. In reviewing Lost London, I marvelled at the signage being readable, but here, you can also read many of the posters and adverts.
The printing quality is excellent as ever, and the binding opens fairly flat, making it a perfect visual reference book. The book is very large and each spread contains only 1-2 images, so image size is not a problem the way it is in many other photo books - in fact, the size is a problem in that I can't fit this book in my workspace when it's open! The captions are interesting, though the information is largely the same as that in Lost London. Addresses are given, as are dates (to the day where possible). Like Lost London and perhaps even more so, most of the photos are from the 20th century with very few from the 19th, though the focus is very much on Victorian and earlier architecture.
The images are grouped into four chapters: Work, Wealth, Poverty, and Change. The first focuses on places of employ - shops, factories, markets, docks. It has numerous interiors of such places, exactly the sort of thing I felt was under-represented in Lost London. Wealth shows the homes and clubs of the rich, while Poverty is about the homes of and institutions for the poor, such as almshouses and charity schools. Change focuses mostly on construction, demolition, and WWII damage, though it also includes many images that don't deal with change any more than the other chapters do but which don't fit elsewhere.
If you're only looking to get one photo reference book of Victorian/Edwardian London, it should be either this one, or Lost London. If you're looking for breadth and vibes, Lost London will have more for you. If you're an artist looking for details, the enlarged photos in this one are probably the way to go - if you have the space for it.