Around Somerset

Montague Cooper was probably Somerset's first commercial photographer - certainly the county's finest. He had studios in Taunton, Burnham and Chard, and traveled widely around Somerset in one of the county's first motor cars - often to be spotted in the background of his photographs. Although his business was primarily portraiture, he also recorded towns and villages and dozens of event, from fetes and festivals to railway disasters. Unlike Francis Frith, a rival, Cooper always attempted to include as many people in his photographs as possible. Nick Chipchase has researched the life and work of Montague Cooper, and presents here a fascinating album of his work - a true reminder of bygone days which will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Somerset or the early days of photography.