RHS Lindley Library – Digital collections / RHS

William Van Sommer (1859–1941) was a little-known amateur photographer who left behind a unique collection of images of his local Surrey landscape and favourite gardens in colour.

He took his pictures in an era when gardens were known for their waves of colour – for the contrasting shades of their rock gardens and the vibrant hues of their herbaceous borders. Yet the Edwardian garden was seldom captured in colour photography at the time.

Van Sommer’s beautiful ‘autochrome’ pictures provide a rare glimpse of the colours of these gardens of the past. Read on to discover some of the earliest colour images of the great outdoors including the first known colour photographs of RHS Wisley.

A man of the world

Not much is known about William Van Sommer. He was born in Reigate in Surrey in 1859, became a solicitor in his father’s London law firm and went on to be a keen traveller. He was clearly passionate about documenting the world around him, compiling detailed sketchbooks of his travels throughout his life.

Studio portrait of Van Sommer as a young solicitor. From the *Records of the Van Sommer Family,* by James Van Sommer, 1945.
Studio portrait of Van Sommer as a young solicitor. From the *Records of the Van Sommer Family,* by James Van Sommer, 1945.

Closer to home, he was an avid gardener with a love of watercolour painting and colour photography which he used to capture the beauty of his local Surrey landscape.

^{Image: Autochrome of rhododendrons on St George's Hill, taken in 1913 by Van Sommer near Weybridge where he lived. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.}

Imagine a garden without colour…

Van Sommer’s early 20^th-century pictures of his natural surroundings provide an important window into the past as colour photos of gardens from this time are rare.

Almost as soon as the first black and white photographs had appeared in 1839, people began to search for a way to take pictures in colour.

However, it was decades before a breakthrough and colour photography techniques remained expensive and impractical even in Van Sommer's time.

_{Image: Autochrome of a cottage garden in summer, possibly Clandon in Surrey, by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.}

In the still-new discipline of garden photography in the early 1900s, the lack of colour was felt particularly strongly.

As late as 1922, the British Journal of Photography criticized the continuing dominance of black and white photography, stating that ‘colour is the very essence of the delight of the garden.’

Prominent horticulturalist, Ellen Willmott (1858-1934), for example, regularly experimented with early colour photography. However, her work continued to appear in black and white in the contemporary garden press.

Image from *Warley Garden in Spring and Summer* by Ellen Willmott, 1907. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Image from *Warley Garden in Spring and Summer* by Ellen Willmott, 1907. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

_{Image: Autochrome of a poppy field, possibly in Burhill, Surrey, by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.}

The Dawn of Colour

Van Sommer achieved the beautiful colours in his pictures by experimenting with one of the earliest forms of colour photography – the ‘autochrome’.

Image: Autochrome of Cherry Blossom at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Invented in France by Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1904, autochrome pictures are created by dying microscopic grains of potato starch and spreading them across a photographic glass plate.

The autochromes in this online display are from a collection of original glass plates donated to the RHS Lindley Collections in 2007.

Image: Autochrome of calceolarias in a conservatory at Barton Nurseries. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Once developed, autochome plates need to be viewed against light, for example by being projected by a magic lantern.

When light passes through the red, green and violet grains, it results in an exquisitely soft colour image. The clumps of starch give the resulting picture a soft pointillist quality.

The Ideal Setting

To take a good picture, autochrome photographers relied on a long exposure time. This could be up to 10 seconds on a cloudy day, which meant that action shots were almost impossible.

Even outdoors, the photographer was dependent on the weather.

Image: Black and white photograph taken by Van Sommer of his home of thirty years, the Cuffnells, in Weybridge (c.1915). Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

However, sunny garden settings and colourful flowers provided the perfect subject. Van Sommer took this autochrome picture of his home in the height of summer.

Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Because of low lighting levels, taking autochrome pictures indoors could also be a challenge.

Nonetheless, Van Sommer successfully took many beautiful still lives of flowers and fruit in his home. He probably took most of these by the window to ensure that there was enough light.

Autochrome still life of apples taken by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome still life of apples taken by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

In this floral still life, you can just make out the windowsill in the background.

Autochrome still life of dahlias, fuchsias and ferns taken by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome still life of dahlias, fuchsias and ferns taken by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

Glasshouses were another perfect location for the early garden photographer. Van Sommer took this autochrome of begonias in pots in a conservatory in Bath.

Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Wisley in Colour

William Van Sommer was a keen member of the Royal Horticultural Society and took a number of significant pictures of RHS Wisley – the earliest known colour images of the garden.

Image: RHS Wisley Rock Garden under construction, 1912. Photo by James Pullham. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Image: Autochrome of the pond and rock garden at RHS Wisley, by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Van Sommer’s shot of the Rock Garden even features the first known RHS gardener to have been photographed in colour.

Image: Autochrome of delphiniums in a field, probably Wisley trial grounds by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Image: Autochrome of flowers and plants on the long ponds at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Image: Autochrome of a pond at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Autochrome of rhododendrons on St George's Hill, taken in 1913 by Van Sommer near Weybridge where he lived. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections .
Autochrome of rhododendrons on St George's Hill, taken in 1913 by Van Sommer near Weybridge where he lived. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections .

A man of the world

Not much is known about William Van Sommer. He was born in Reigate in Surrey in 1859, became a solicitor in his father’s London law firm and went onto be a keen traveller. He was clearly passionate about documenting the world around him, compiling detailed sketchbooks of his travels throughout his life.

Closer to home, he was an avid gardener with a love of watercolour painting and colour photography which he used to capture the beauty of his local Surrey landscape.

Autochrome of a cottage garden in summer, possibly Clandon, Surrey by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome of a cottage garden in summer, possibly Clandon, Surrey by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

Imagine a garden without colour…

Van Sommer’s early 20^th-century pictures of his natural surroundings provide an important window into the past as colour photos of gardens from this time are rare.

Almost as soon as the first black and white photographs had appeared in 1839, people began to search for a way to take pictures in colour.

However, it was decades before a breakthrough and colour photography techniques remained expensive and impractical even in Van Sommer's time.

In the still-new discipline of garden photography in the 1900s, the lack of colour was felt particularly strongly.

As late as 1922, the British Journal of Photography criticized the continuing dominance of black and white photography, stating that ‘colour is the very essence of the delight of the garden.’

Prominent horticulturalist, Ellen Willmott (1858-1934), for example, regularly experimented with early colour photography. However, her work continued to appear in black and white in the contemporary garden press.

Autochrome of a Poppyfield, possibly in Burhill, Surrey by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome of a Poppyfield, possibly in Burhill, Surrey by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

The Dawn of Colour

Van Sommer achieved the beautiful colours in his pictures by experimenting with one of the earliest forms of colour photography – the ‘autochrome’.

Autochrome of Cherry Blossom at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome of Cherry Blossom at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

Invented in France by Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1904, autochrome pictures are created by dying microscopic grains of potato starch and spreading them across a photographic glass plate.

The autochromes in this online display are from a collection of original glass plates donated to the RHS Lindley Collections in 2007.

Autochrome of calceolarias in a conservatory at Barton Nurseries, by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome of calceolarias in a conservatory at Barton Nurseries, by Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

Once developed, autochome plates need to be viewed against light, for example by being projected by a magic lantern.

When light passes through the red, green and violet grains, it results in an exquisitely soft colour image.

The clumps of starch give the resulting picture a soft pointillist quality.

The Ideal Setting

To take a good picture, autochrome photographers relied on a long exposure time. This could be up to 10 seconds on a cloudy day, which meant that action shots were almost impossible. Even outdoors the photographer was dependent on the weather.

However, sunny garden settings and colourful flowers provided the perfect subject.

Because of low lighting levels, taking autochrome pictures indoors could also be a challenge.

Black and white photograph taken by Van Sommer of the interior of his home, the Cuffnells (c.1915).
Black and white photograph taken by Van Sommer of the interior of his home, the Cuffnells (c.1915).

Nonetheless, Van Sommer successfully took many beautiful still lives of flowers and fruit in his home. He probably took most of these by the window to ensure that there was enough light.

In this floral still life, you can just make out the windowsill in the background.

Glasshouses were another perfect location for the early garden photographer. Van Sommer took this autochrome of begonias in a conservatory in Bath.

Autochrome of begonias in pots, in a Bath conservatory. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections
Autochrome of begonias in pots, in a Bath conservatory. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections

Wisley in Colour

A keen member of the Royal Horticultural Society, Van Sommer also took a number of significant pictures of RHS Wisley – the earliest known colour images of the garden.

Autochrome of the pond and rock garden at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Autochrome of the pond and rock garden at RHS Wisley by William Van Sommer, 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

His shot of the Rock Garden even features the first known RHS gardener to have been photographed in colour.

Detail of autochrome of the pond and rock garden at RHS Wisley. 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.
Detail of autochrome of the pond and rock garden at RHS Wisley. 1913. **Credit:** RHS Lindley Collections.

William Van Sommer was not the first nor the last to use the autochrome technique to take colour pictures. The work of this Surrey solicitor nonetheless represents a notable moment in the history of garden photography.

The natural landscape had, of course, been a popular subject in black and white photography. However, the arrival of colour at the turn of the 20^th century, revolutionised ideas of the garden - transforming it into a valid photographic subject in its own right and paving the way for the rise of the professional garden photographer.

William van Sommer made a worthy contribution to this tradition – bringing to life the colours of natural landscapes, plants and flowers that are now long gone.

Image: Van Sommer’s autochrome of RHS Wisley Rock Garden. Credit: RHS Lindley Collections.

Image: The Rock Garden and Long Ponds in spring at RHS Wisley today, by well-known garden photographer, Clive Nichols. Credit: RHS / Clive Nichols.

Created by RHS Lindley Library.

Based at the Royal Horticultural Society’s headquarters at Vincent Square in London, the Lindley Library holds a world-class collection of horticultural books, journals and botanical art.