Dalton's Royal Photographic Gallery

This late 19th-century studio specialized in crisp portrait photographs. One of their most common subjects was Sir John Young, captured in sharp detail and formal pose. The Royal Photographic Gallery’s backdrops stayed simple—dark cloth or plain walls—letting faces take center stage. Their work sits in the lineage of early photography, when glass plates and long exposures made every second count. Want to see how portraiture changed in the 1880s? Tap into the same formal pose in Sir John Young’s photograph.