author
Joseph Cundall
1818–1895
A lively Victorian publisher, writer, and early photographer, remembered for helping shape beautifully illustrated children’s books. He also played a part in the early history of photography, including work connected with the Bayeux Tapestry.
2 Audiobooks
A Brief History of Wood-engraving From Its Invention
by Joseph Cundall
Robin Hood and His Merry Foresters
by Joseph Cundall
About the author
Born in Norwich in 1818, Joseph Cundall built a varied career in London as a printer, publisher, editor, and author. He wrote under the pen name Stephen Percy and became especially known for publishing children’s books, working with leading illustrators of his day to create handsome, imaginative editions.
Cundall was also an early pioneer of photography. He was involved with the Calotype Society and later ran The Photographic Institution in London, where important early photographers worked with him. His interests ranged from books to visual culture, and that mix of literary and photographic work gives him a distinctive place in Victorian art and publishing history.
Later in life, he was entrusted with overseeing an early photographic record of the Bayeux Tapestry, a project that reflects the confidence placed in his technical and artistic judgment. He died in 1895, leaving behind a career that bridged storytelling, design, and the new technology of the camera.