the Beresford family is assembled for a coming-of-age celebration on the steps of their house at Curraghmore in Waterford. It's 1922 and the young man on the right of the photo may have been the 21st-birthday celebrant. Is he surreptitiously holding hands with the girl by his side? Or is she his sister? Had he fought in the First World War between April and November 1918 when the enlistment age was lowered to 17? It's one of the intriguing questions posed by Power and Privilege, a photographic exhibition depicting the Big House in Ireland, from 1858 to 1922.
This collection of 87 photographs, many exhibited for the first time, is from the National Library of Ireland's photographic selection and it is the culmination of many months' work. Why these particular images?
"The range of materials we selected was drawn from the resources of the archive, of some 630,000 images, which is an embarrassment of riches," Elizabeth Kirwan of the National Library explains. "Some were more relevant than others, some in better condition than others so that determined what we could use in making the selection of 87 images on the wall. If some areas are more represented than others, that's because we had more records."
The six main themes – gardens and landscapes, employees, transport, entertainment and recreation, the arts and sciences, and family life – draw on two types of image originals: glass plates and period photographs from albums.
It's an exhibition that fascinates on many levels, not least the photographic techniques used at the time. Photography, in the early days, was the pursuit of wealthy amateurs and a substantial section of the exhibition comes from the Dillon family, with most of them taken by the 4th Baron Clonbrock and his wife Augusta, who captured daily life, staff, family and friends on their estate.
Such was their passion for photography that they had a photographic studio and dark room built on their estate in 1869. One of the exhibition's most striking images, from 1865, is an experimental composition using a mirror to frame Luke, 4th Baron Clonbrock, and Augusta.
The photographs also serve as a rich social commentary, detailing costume, transport, sport, dress and social mores. For example, the ladies with bicycles at Galgorm Castle, Ballymena, is not just a charming picture, it also signifies a time of increased freedom for women – upper-class ladies embraced bicycling in the late 19th century as it freed them from the social codes such as restrictive dress and allowed them to pursue outdoor activities, something which had been previously deemed 'unladylike'.
The theme of affluence predominates, with images of the owners' fabulous works of art and exotically landscaped gardens, and testimonies to their wealth, such as the magnificent organ room at Carton House and the telescope installed at Birr Castle in 1845 by the third Earl of Rosse, which remained the largest in the world until 1917. There are portraits of the shooting, hunting and garden parties that were integral to the life of these moneyed classes – Ireland was perceived as a colonial playground in which to pursue these activities. Of course, these were also the gatherings where suitable matches might be made, a good dowry or wealthy husband being the ultimate goal, as the big house was hugely expensive to run. But also represented are the servants, who were necessary to the smooth running of this lifestyle and who often led lives of drudgery. Were the uniformed servants at Bessborough House in Kilkenny from Britain (many of the larger landed magnates preferred to bring their staff from London) or were they Irish? Did they work long hours for little pay and resent their employers? Or were they lucky enough to be in the employ of benevolent landlords who followed the 'noblesse oblige' dictate seriously.
While the photographs can illuminate us so much, they can't give all the answers, but the exhibition could very well be the starting point for some budding historian, Elizabeth Kirwan believes. "We have captioned these photographs as thoroughly as time and our records would allow, but there might be someone who sees a picture and who might be able to provide some answers as to who some of the unnamed people are, or what might have happened to them."
'Power & Privilege – photographs of the Big House in Ireland, 1858-1922, National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
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