Features

The 19th & 20th Century Photography sale at Dominic Winter on May 18 includes several works by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79).

On June 13 the Paris auction house Millon is selling items from the collection of Lili Grenier, celebrated artist’s model and muse and friend of some of the most famous artists of the late 19th century including Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Two transatlantic spring fairs bring the twin collecting areas of historical photography and photographica into focus in the spring.

British photographer Bert Hardy (1913-95) is best remembered for his contributions to Picture Post, the UK’s pioneering photojournalistic magazine of the mid-20th century.

These two salt prints from waxed paper negatives by Roger Fenton (1819-69) carry an estimate of £1000-2000 at Cheffins in Cambridge on April 28.

The Fine Photographica sale at Flints in Thatcham, Berkshire, on April 23 includes this Ansco Photo Vanity 'spy' camera, estimated at £800-1200.

North Yorkshire saleroom Tennants is selling this Kemp & Co field camera with ‘tropical’ mahogany casing and brass fittings, with an estimate of £150-250.

It was supposedly as a result of a bet whether it was possible to make a camera that could fit into a cigarette packet that Noel Pemberton Billing (1881-1948) began work on a miniature, collapsible camera that would accept 35mm film.

The photographica department at Chiswick Auctions will be taking over the firm’s South Kensington gallery for the duration of May when highlights from the 19th & 20th Century Photography sale on May 24 will be on view.

By the 1850s, tourist travel to Middle East created strong demand for photographs as souvenirs.

The sale of Photographica & Cameras at Special Auction Services in Newbury on April 26 features this complete set of 'Tour Of The World' stereoviews by the Keystone View Company of Meadville, Pennsylvania.

The largest showground fairs are so extensive that it would be impossible to browse items on all the stands in one day. IACF’s Newark Antiques Fair, for example, is held on an 84-acre site with up to 2500 stands.

When Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded photo-sharing app Instagram in 2010 they probably did not expect that 12 years later it would have become a platform for selling antiques.

Dealer portals provide a handy online view of a selection of stock from a large number of traders. They offer a connection to dealers for both the buyer casually browsing from home and the buyer seeking a specific type of item.

Whereas buying at fairs often involves a heavy dose of serendipity, buying at auction tends to be a more focused and considered affair.

Art and antiques shops and galleries offer an enjoyable retail experience with a knowledgeable dealer.

Ask anyone about a special item they bought and they will usually start by telling you how they came to own it. Here the ATG team recounts the story of 15 purchases, each one for under £1000

At a mid or high-end art and antiques fair buyers can comfortably get round all the stands in a day and have time to browse, consider and discuss with expert dealers. Such events have a more relaxed and social vibe to them: dealers invite their clients along and hope to meet new buyers by attracting them onto their stands with eye-catching items and displays.

Antiques centres provide a treasure trove of objects from a wide array of dealers all under one roof and make a good destination for a trip that any antiques or vintage lover will enjoy.

This parcel gilt musical box decorated with a frieze of figures is by Stuart Devlin (London 1975).