BELLAS ARTES

The beauty and rich history of the four nations of the United Kingdom England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland had much to offer to the international tourist in 1900. More than 800 photochromes present an intimate view of the wild landscapes, manicured lawns, bustling cityscapes and bucolic charm of the British Isles before the First World War.Colour photochromes, 19th- and early 20th-century photographs, postcards, travel posters and luggage labels guide the reader through this historic ‘Kingdom by the Sea’, a welcoming land of extraordinary diversity and fascinating heritage, full of secrets and legends.

Nothing compares to the Alps” wrote the great French historian Jules Michelet in 1868. At the very heart of Europe, the gigantic Alpine mountain range includes some of the most grandiose natural sites in the world, such as Mont Blanc, the Jungfrau, the Matterhorn, and their glaciers. Tourism began in the late 1800s and grew tremendously over the next centuries, especially with the rise of winter sports. This book offers a charming tour of a bygone era, when the first mountain trains and cog railways were carrying men in lederhosen and women in long dresses to the foot of the glacier, when local guides accompanied tourists riding on mules; a time when the first alpinists were considered mad, and skiers were a curiosity.