A staged tableau showing a fox stalking a rooster perched atop a wicker basket set against a brick wall with trailing ivy. Additional props—a broom, a bundle of kindling, a wooden pail, and scattered stones—complete the constructed farmyard scene, with a small mouse or vole visible in the foreground gravel. The arched image format is typical of paper stereo prints of the period, with 'PHOTO' faintly embossed at the lower left of the mount.
The composition corresponds to T.R. Williams' well-documented still-life tableau known as 'The Cock and Fox,' in which taxidermied animals were arranged to simulate a dramatic narrative scene, a technique for which Williams was particularly noted given the technical limitations of photographing live animals at the time. The reverse bears a period pencil attribution to 'T R Williams' along with a Carpenter & Westley optician's retail label, consistent with period sale through an optical/instrument dealer rather than direct publication.
Photographer/publisher: T.R. Williams
Period/date: circa 1855-1860
Dimensions: 175 x 85 mm
Condition: Good; the mount shows overall yellowing and light surface soiling, with a small closed tear and abrasion at the lower left corner of the mount. The image surfaces show minor scattered foxing and a small area of surface loss near the top left corner of the left frame. The reverse label is partially separated at one edge, with visible pencil annotations and toning around the pasted optician's label.
Reverse: Pencil inscriptions reading '15', 'England', 'T R Williams', and '57/-', alongside a printed paper label: 'CARPENTER & WESTLEY, OPTICIANS, 24 REGENT ST., LONDON.'
Keywords: England, stereoview, T.R. Williams, taxidermy tableau, Victorian genre photography
Photographer Biography:
Thomas Richard Williams (1824-1871) was a British photographer and pioneer of stereoscopy, apprenticed in the early 1840s to Antoine Claudet.
He opened his own studio in Regent Street, London, in 1854 and became known for elaborately staged genre and still-life tableaux, often using taxidermied animals or food arrangements.
He entered into an agreement with the London Stereoscopic Company in 1856 to publish his stereo photographs.
Williams also photographed the Crystal Palace and members of the British Royal Family during the 1850s and 1860s.
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