For your consideration are three William Edward Hook (1833-1908) boudoir albumen cabinet cards circa 1885-1897. Hook was born in Litchfield, England. His family briefly relocated to the United States in 1834 before returning to England in 1851. In 1857, he married Eleanor Jane Dore, and they had six children. Hook returned to the United States in 1867, but not with his family. Two years later, he opened a photographic studio in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. In February 1875, two of his boys accompanied him to the United States. Hook closed his photography studio in Wisconsin in 1877, and he and his surviving son, William, began working as traveling photographers from Missoula, Montana. They spent the following four years traveling and photographing across Montana and Wyoming, including Yellowstone National Park, Alberta, Northwest Territory, and the Canadian Northwest Rockies. By 1881, Hook had established a photographic studio in Marquette, Michigan, from which he sold his photos of the American West.?In April 1885, Hook opened a photographic studio in Manitou Springs, Colorado. In September 1885, he filed a homestead claim on Ruxton Creek near Pikes Peak, naming it "Artist's Glen." Hook specialized over the years in marketing Colorado's beautiful views to tourists. In 1887, Hook visited England. He returned to Colorado with his wife and daughters, and over time, the Hook family filed more homestead claims along Ruxton Creek. They also ran a tourist boarding house until 1890, when the building and operations of the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, a steep grade railway from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, forced the family to relocate to Colorado Springs. Hook then ran a photographic business in Colorado Springs until he died of heart disease. The first photo in this lot is titled, "Seal and Bear, Garden of the Gods. 110" and shows large rock formations in Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The photo has been set on a cream colored card stock and has stamped impressions reading, "The W.E. Hook Wholesale View Co. Colorado Springs, Colo.". The second photo is titled, "109. Gateway, Garden of the Gods" and shows the Gateway Trail and the Gateway rock formation and a towering, snow capped mountain in the background. The photo has been set on a cream colored card stock and has stamped impressions reading, "The W.E. Hook Wholesale View Co. Colorado Springs, Colo.". The third and final photo is titled, "Lion and Camels, Garden of the Gods. 605" and shows large red sandstone rock formations standing approximately 70 feet tall. The formations are named for their resemblance to kissing camels (top left). The photo has been set on a cream colored card stock and has stamped impressions reading, "The W.E. Hook Wholesale View Co. Colorado Springs, Colo.". Provenance: From the personal collection of Francoise Perriot (Fran?oise Perriot), noted historian author of the West and Native Americans. Perriot?s published works include such books as ?Les Indiens et La Nature? (Indians and Nature) 2017, ?La Conqu?te du Far West? (The Conquest of the Wild West) 2007, ?Les Indiens d'Am?rique du Nord? (North American Indians), ?Guide Bleu : Etats-Unis Ouest Americain? (Blue Guide: United States West America). This piece and others come from her time collecting in Montana and the West, her book ?Les Indiens et la nature? is one of the most notable in France documenting photographs of the west. The photos show good condition overall with some slight wear present from their age and use over the years but no signs of obvious damage is noted. They measure 4 7/8" L x 8" W.

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