by the gentle author

As the Bishopsgate Institute announces an exhibition of the Dogs Of World War One and an entire season of canine-related cultural events, it is my pleasure to publish this splendid London selection from Libby Hall‘s wonderful collection of dog photography.

Arthur Lee, Muswell Hill, inscribed “To Ruby with love from Crystal.”

This girl and her dog were photographed many times for cards and are believed to be the photographer’s daughter and her pet.

We took Libby’s treasured photographs from their storage boxes, spread them out upon a polished table top together and began to look. We were seeking the dogs of old London in her collection.

We pulled out those from London photographic studios and those labelled as London.

Then, Libby also picked out those that she believes are London. And here you see the photographs we chose. How eager and yet how soulful are these metropolitan dogs of yesteryear.

They were not camera shy.

See more Images via Libby Hall’s Dogs Of Old London | Spitalfields Life.