"The National Photographic Record Association"

Description:In 1897, Stone went even further in harnessing the power of photography to document landscapes and customs for future generations by helping to establish ‘The National Photographic Record Association’ (NPRA). This particular organisation focused on the British landscape, rather than those abroad. According to Pete James, Birmingham’s leading expert on Stone and head of Birmingham Central Library Photographic Collections:

“the prime objective of the NPRA was to record for the future the antiquities, ancient buildings, folk customs, and other ‘survivals’ of historical interest, forming a national memory bank in order to foster ‘a national pride in the historical associations of the country, or neighbourhood, in family traditions, or in personal associations.’(A Record of England, 2007).

The local branch of this association, the Warwickshire Photographic Survey, took hundred of photographs of the streets and buildings around Birmingham. This collection is now housed in the Local Studies and History Department of Birmingham Central Library. As the leader of this ‘photographic revolution’, Stone became famous as a ‘knight of the camera’. As M.P., Stone also gained privileged access to the Houses of Parliament, famously undertaking a detailed survey of its buildings and members.

The photographs that Stone took of more distant cultures whilst on his world travels cannot be examined without understanding how Stone was committed to ideas of 'englishness' that would come to be represented by the NPRA back at home.