These Were Our Dogs

Libby Hall began collecting photographs of dogs in 1966, saving unwanted pictures from being discarded into dustbins or thrown on bonfires. Later, her interest piqued, she began amassing them from local flea markets and second-hand shops. Now her collection is one of the most famous and distinguished in the world, and with her several books of photographs she has attracted what the "Telegraph Magazine" called a 'cult following'. "These Were Our Dogs" contains more than 250 photographs, never before published, from Libby Hall's legendary collection. Here are people from all kinds of walks of life and different countries - from mining towns to stately homes, from the American Deep South to rural Japan. Here are princesses and cowboys, clergymen and actresses, toddlers and octogenarians, and what is common to them all is that their dogs are their constant, treasured companions. Some are images of dogs alone. In others, dogs form an essential part of a family portrait. Some are hilarious; some are beautiful; some are very moving.
Some are rare gems: for example the image, one of only two known copies in the world, of John Brown, Queen Victoria's personal servant, with four of her favourite dogs, taken in 1871. This collection is a fascinating insight into the very beginnings of the art of photography, a social record of a bygone era, and a testimony to the timeless relationship between Dog and Man. It is an essential book for lovers of photography and lovers of dogs alike.