The country house can claim to be the birthplace of photography in England through William Fox Talbot's work in the 1830s at Lacock Abbey. The leisured and affluent upper classes went on to make an art form of their new toy, creating intimate portraits of stunning beauty. This timely new edition of a classic work includes previously unpublished photographs discovered in dusty corners and attics of Britain's grandest houses. It stands as a poignant testament to a way of life that has now all but vanished.