Entering Hardman’s House: Exploring the Legacies of British Imperialism in the Home and Photographs of Edward Chambré Hardman

This paper explores the nature and extent of the legacies of British imperialism in the home and work of the twentieth-century Liverpool-based photographer Edward Chambré Hardman. It traces the impact of Empire on Hardman’s life and career from his early service in the British Indian Army to his later years as an established commercial photographer in two distinct ways. First, it assesses the legacies of British imperialism in the material of Hardmans’ House at 59 Rodney Street. Second, it analyses sixteen of his personal and professional photographs taken in the first half of the twentieth century. The paper concludes that the legacies of British imperialism are widely evident in both Hardman’s house and work, and locates him as a conscious, rather than absent-minded, imperialist, who found pride and self-identity in his imperial role. Through the approaches used, the paper also contributes to the field of New Imperial History.