Originally trained and worked as a geologist, I now work as a museum professional. My passion is old photographs, the photographers who took them, the equipment and technologies they used, the people and scenes in the photos, and the stories behind them.
http://photo-sleuth.blogspot.com/
I'm also an avid hiker and naturalist, and have walked four Caminos in northern Spain ... so far
Unidentified young woman, Carte de visite portrait, c.1880-1884
by Henry Bloomfield, Waterlooo Street, Burton-on-Trent
Henry F. Bloomfield is something of an enigma. He arrived in the brewing town of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire around 1880, and described himself as an "artist in photography." Although he remained in Burton until his death in 1900, and was listed as a photographer in trade directories from 1888 onwards, few examples of his work appear to have survived. The carte de visite shown above must date from fairly early during his stay in Burton.
H. Bloomfield, artist, photographer, engraver & writer
As well as photography, he advertised his services as artist, engraver and writer, and it is possible he was emplyed by one of the Burton newspapers. Both he and his wife Jane (or Jenny) were born in London around 1830, but nothing further is known about his life prior to his arrival in Burton.
Please do get in touch if you have any further images or information about this photographer.
The picture prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday theme shows five glum Irish ladies rather determined not to have a good time while selling their bric-a-brac at an early 20th Century stall. Perhaps the thought of carrying around all that hat for the rest of the day was just a little too much. Whatever the cause, it doesn't convey the feeling of festivity that I associate with show week and the Luna Park of my youth.
Fair Day in Morledge, Derby, 1882, by C.T. Moore
In an article about Derbyshire fairground photographer Charles Warwick posted three years ago, I used this image of a painting by C.T. Moore, a lively scene of an Easter fair taking place in the Morledge, Derby in 1882.
Detail: Itinerant Photographer's Tent
Closer examination of the painting reveals, parked amongst numerous hawkers, swings, an "Aetherscope" and several other attractions, an itinerant photographer's tent offering "Carte de Visite" on the far right, adjacent to a caravan. After further investigation, I identified several photographers accompanying a large group of travellers who toured the Midlands in the 1870s to 1890s, and who regularly attended the Easter Fair in Derby. These included Samuel Whiting (later a swing boat proprietor), Charles Warwick, Charles Antill and Charles Tyler. Although I'd come across all of these photographers previously, and had compiled profiles for three of them, I had no examples of the work of Antill or Tyler. Since then I've received several contributions of images, purchased a photo by Charles Tyler, and learnt a lot more about the life and careers of both him and his son Albert Charles Tyler.
Charles Tyler (1837-1908) started working as a confectioner with the family business in the small village of Wymeswold, near Loughborough in Leicestershire. The 1861 Census (7 April) shows Charles and his father living in a caravan parked at the Morledge, Derby. They were presumably winding down after a busy time the previous Easter weekend holiday hawking sweets (Easter Sunday was 31 March). In late 1864 he married Alice Suett, the daughter of a fellow traveller, and not long after appears to have taken up the photographic trade. By the late 1860s, when the above carte de visite portrait was taken in Swanwick, Derbyshire, he and Alice were living in a van and travelling to various fair around the Midlands.
The card mount is a generic one, overprinted with his name and "home" address, complete with spelling mistake - it would not have been produced by a high end printer! The Market Place in Whitwick was also not far from Loughborough, and was possibly where he set up shop when there were no country fairs to attend. I do have some doubts whether Tyler was, in fact, capable of reproducing copies of any previously taken portrait from the original negative as claimed, since glass plate negatives were bulky and heavy, and space would have been at a premium in his van.
Birth locations for Charles' and Alice's children over first two decades of their marriage show a wide distribution, indicating that they ferried their growing brood from village to town throughout the Midlands, following the country fair circuit through the 1870s and 1880s. Census night on Sunday 2 April 1871 found Charles, Alice, three young children and a servant in "booths and caravans" in The Yard of the Blue Lion in the Grantham Market Place, Lincolnshire. It seems likely that they were already packing up in preparation for a move to Derby to attend the Easter Fair on the following weekend. Further locations visited included Hinckley, Long Eaton, Nottingham and Burslem. They were back in Grantham on census night 3 April 1881, this time with two weeks to spare before the Easter fair in Derby, which they presumably attended.
This remnant of a carte de visite portrait depicting four young men and a well behaved dog, sent to me by Frances Quinn, was probably taken in the late 1880s at Bollington, north of Macclesfield in Cheshire. It was perhaps close to the northern limit of the Tyler's range, but appears to have been a regular haunt, because his fifth son Edwin was born there in the summer/autumn of 1873.
Carte de visite by Charles Tyler, "here and at Wymeswold," c.1885-1890
The card mount used is by now far more elaborate, with classical design elements common to many being published in the late 1880s. He advertises that he is able to take portraits of fidgety children "by the instantaneous process" which essentially means that he is taking advantage of the faster emulsions commercially available by that time to employ quicker exposure times. Most interesting to me, however, is the tell-tale mark of an itinerant tradesman, unable to specify a permanent studio location: "Here and at Wymeswold, ..." Unfortunately, any other locations that might have been listed must await the appearance of a more complete version of this particular carte de visite design.
Frances also sent me these images of a fragment of an ambrotype or collodion positive portrait, believing it might be of her father-in-law's great aunt Catherine Quinn (1873-1959) of Bollington, Cheshire. What little I can see of the studio setting is typical for the the early to mid-1860s, with a diamond patterned carpet, and a wood panelling backdrop (although I think this backdrop is actually painted canvas, rather than real wood panelling). The seated pose of the man, probably facing directly forwards towards the camera, and with his legs apart, was common in the 1850s and 1860s.
Collodion positives were introduced in the 1850s, but their popularity started to decline in the 1860s, during the heyday of the carte de visite. However, due to their convenience and low cost, they were still favoured by some itinerant photographers, even as late as the 1890s. I found a picture of a very similar girl's outfit, with woven checked or tartan dress and jacket, dated 1874 in Jo Ann Olian's Children's Fashions 1860-1912: 1,065 Costume Designs from "LaMode Illustree," (publ. 1994, Dover Publications, New York). The portrait could therefore easily have been taken in the late 1870s, as Frances suggests. Whether the portrait was taken by Charles Tyler or some other photographer may well remain a mystery. We know that he was visiting Bollington in the mid-1870s, but I'm not sure how many other photographers in the general area.
On Sunday 5 April 1891, the weekend after Easter, Charles and Alice were back at the Morledge, Derby, two of their sons Arthur and Edwin and now working as photographic assistants. Their eldest son Albert Charles Tyler, aged 25, by now was operating separately from his own caravan, then parked at Mantle Lane, Whitwick. Over the previous two and a half decades they had covered an impressive area, illustrated by the location map of the English Midlands above.
When this portrait of a young woman was taken in the mid-1890s, Charles Tyler had retired from an active role in the photography business and had become a publican. He owned and ran the Engineers' Arms in Coalville while Albert, now married to Swadlincote girl Lucy Smedley, operated the nominal "father and son" portrait venture from the van. The backdrop used is a rudimentary one, consisting of an unornamented, light coloured sheet, and Albert has taken little care to disguise its appearance. In additon the bright sunlight, probably coming from a skylight in the caravan roof directly above the subject, has heightened the contrast between the woman's dark clothing and the light backdrop, thus revealing little detail on her fine dress.
C. Tyler & Son, here and at Swadlincote & Coalville
Printed by publishers Adams & Co. of London the card mount demonstrates by the caption "here and at Swadlincote & Coalville," that they used Lucy's and Charles's parents' abodes respectively as home bases.
The final portrait was taken, judging by the fashion of the dresses worn by the three women pictured, some time in the late 1890s. They are clearly dressed for an outing, with lavishly decorated hats, and umbrellas in case of the occasional light shower. Albert, now working on his own as "A.C. Tyler," has by now acquired a painted backdrop which lends something to the atmosphere with a little perspective, but it is probably still taken within the cramped confines of a photographer's caravan or tent.
There are several tell-tale signs to look for which might indicate a photographic portrait has been taken by an itinerant.
- There may be several locations listed, without a qualifier indicating that they were permanent branches.
- The words "Here and at ..." with no definite statement where "here might be, is presumably indicative of a traveller.
- Alternatively, there might not be a location listed at all.
- Rudimentary or out-of-date backdrops, carpets and other accessories used, edges poorly disguised and often with grass or bare earth showing.
- Portraits often taken outdoors.
- In the United Kingdom, collodion positives were predominantly used by travelling photographers after the mid- to late 1860s, but rarely by studio photographers.
- Tin types were generally the preserve of itinerants after the end of the 1870s.
Many thanks to Judith Brennan, Frances Quinn and Gillian Rhodes for permission to use their images.
Derbyshire, like most English counties in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, produced few female photographers. That's not to say women didn't have a presence in the photographic industry. If one includes all of the photographic-related trades, then the number was substantial, as women were often employed in a number of subordinate roles in photographic studios, particularly in the 1890s and early 1900s. Their job descriptions ranged from photographic assistant to photographer's printer and retoucher, but they seldom received recognition in the studio name, even if it was a family business. There were plenty of "& Sons" dynasties, but I've yet to come across an "& Daughters" firm, discrimination that was hardly confined to the photographic industry. Sadly, very few women graduated to being photographers in their own right, since the successive expectations of marriage, housewifely duties and children tended to obstruct such career development.
The first recorded female photographer to work in Derbyshire was a Miss Scales of Nottingham, who visited Matlock Bath with John Scales (possibly her brother) in the summer of 1859. She was probably Elizabeth J. Scales (1825-), daughter of Nottingham insurance agent George Scales. In February 1862 Elizabeth Scales married Michael Hutton in St Petersburg, Russia.
Gertrude Fletcher (1859-1930) of Ripley was a significant exception to the general trend. After working as a photographic painter - perhaps a colourist - for her brother-in-law Abraham Booth in Ripley during the early 1880s, she set up her own studio at Hyson Green, Nottingham in the early 1890s. She continued operating until at least 1906.
Miss Ethel Margaret Ames (1880-1964), who was also a china painter at the Royal Crown Derby works, operated a studio in Lower Dale Road, Derby from 1895 until her marriage to Percival Rawson in 1907. Although the census records her living with her husband in Nottingham by April 1911, she may have continued working as a photographer after her marriage, since Adamson (1997) has her listed under her maiden name in Lower Dale Road until 1915.
Ellen Beardsall of Chapel-en-le-Frith described herself as a photographer to the census enumerator in April 1881, but as no trade directory listings mention her, it is presumed she was an employee.
Sarah Charles née Ball (1831-1883), widow of Derby photographer Emmanuel Nicolas Charles, is reputed to have operated the studio in Midland Road, Derby for a brief period after her husband's death in March 1863, and prior to her remarriage to her husband's former assistant W.W. Winter in mid 1864.
Florence Elizabeth Levy (1879-1964) followed her father Thomas W. Levy into the photographic profession, probably in the mid- to late 1890s. She produced portraits under her own name from premises at their home in Uttoxeter New Road until her marriage to Luke Bradley in 1903.
Susannah Elizabeth Robinson née Barnes (1851-1945) and her husband Frederick William Robinson (1824-1894) appear to have had a rare photographic partnership in Long Eaton between 1882 and 1894. According to Adamson (1997) she looked after the studio, while her husband handled the sign-writing, decorating, picture framing and outdoor photography. After her husband died in 1894 she moved to Nottingham and continued to run a studio in her own name until 1907.
Hannah Turner of Granville Road, Swadlincote is described as a photographist in April 1881, while her husband John Turner is a photographer, but nothing more is known about the careers of this couple, who had lived in Woodville, Derby and Macclesfield over the previous decade. It is possible they were employed briefly in a local studio, such as that of G.V. Sankey.
References
Adamson, Keith I.P. (1997) Professional Photographers in Derbyshire 1843 - 1914, Supplement to The PhotoHistorian, No. 118, September 1997, ISSN 0957-0209.
Heathcote, Bernard V. & Heathcote, Pauline F. (2001) Pioneers of Photography in Nottinghamshire 1841-1910. Nottinghamshire County Council. 62p. ISBN 0902751387.
I wrote recently on Photo-Sleuth of photographer Joseph Byron Clayton who, after a rather chequered start to his career in London and Nottingham, crossed the Atlantic and forged a successful niche for himself in New York - see Byron of New York. His uncle Walter Clayton (c1833-1893) was also a successful photographer, although his career was a little more sedentary, spanning three decades in Nottingham and Leicester.
My recently completed brief biography of Walter Clayton is accompanied by a provisional timeline for his studio premises. I've also been able to build up a comprehensive reference gallery, comprising 59 identifiably different card designs, thanks partly to the generosity of carte de visite collector Ron Cosens (Photographers of Great Britain & Ireland 1840-1940).
Some studios, such as that of Derby photographer W.W. Winter, kept the same basic elements of their designs for many years, even though having a large throughput of customers. Clayton, luckily for family historians trying to date old portraits, changed his designs frequently, and often substantially, on average every six months throughout his career. With the establishment of this dating sequence, it is now possible to estimate a provisional date for any portrait from his studio to within two or three years with a fair degree of confidence, on card design alone. Since several of the designs are very similar to those used by the Byrons, father and son, it seems likely that they used the same firm of printers, at least some of the time.
1862-1864
1863-1865
Although I don't intend to display all 59 designs here, a selection will amply serve to outline the changes in card design that are so well described and illustrated by Roger Vaughan. The earliest designs of the carte de visite era were either two to four lines of text (simply the photographer's name and address) in a plain font, or a small motif, both usually centrally placed. Clayton initially used the commonly reproduced crown-and-belt emblem which had appeared on the daguerreotype cases used by early practitioners such as Richard Beard and Antoine Claudet. In his slightly later partnership with David Clayson, they changed to a crown-and-cushion motif and added several lines of text, as was the trend towards the mid-1860s.
1864-1866
1866-1868
From the mid-1860s, a generic coat of arms design was accompanied by the words, "Copies of this portrait may be had," later simplified to "Copies can be had." This illustrates the appreciation amongst photographers, and their clients, of one of the most significant advantages of wet plate collodion portraiture. Keeping the glass plate negatives of all previous sittings and encouraged more business as customers returned to order copies. The late 1860s brought a shrinking of the coat of arms and the introduction of two new features - the ribbon and the ivy - which started a trend of further and further intricacy. At this stage however, the ribbon had only three tiers, and the ornate ivy was restricted to the central third of the card.
1869-1870
1874-1875
In the early 1870s designs continued the trend of increasing size and complexity, but one of the most common additions were frames enclosing the previously isolated central motifs. These varied from a simple rectangular box to a series of nested double frames, often shaped, and sometimes very ornate. More text lines were accompanied by an increase in the variety of fonts used, resulting in the designs now often taking up more than two thirds of the card area. Towards the mid-1870s, Clayton used an even more elaborate broad maze border enclosing his now well established motif consisting of coat of arms and ribbons with nine lines of text, and provision for a negative number to be inserted. Sadly, although he obviously did keep records of his stittings, he very rarely bothered to include the negative number on the mount. Of almost 80 examples of his work that I have seen, only five have a negative number.
1873-1877
1874-1875
These two designs, both from the mid-1870s, are illustrative of a temporary shift away from the use of motifs and emblems, and the reliance on ever more complex, ornate and decorative text, often accompanied by stylised ivy to a greater or lesser extent. In addition, the designers started to introduced slanting, diagonal and even vertical text. Some of the results were successful, others looked decidely amateurish.
1875-1877
1874-1876
The conclusion of this trend saw the development of a combination of diagonal "signature," several lines of text in a variety of fonts, with enlarged and highly ornate initial letters, and greater or lesser quantities of decorative ivy. The variety of coloured inks and card was also expanded. The two designs shown above, used for cartes de viste and cabinet card formats respectively, were among the most commonly employed in the mid- to late 1870s. The design for the cabinet card, with its greater area to cover, retained the wide ornate border pattern.
1879-1880
1880-1881
In the final years of the decade Walter Clayton was somewhat more adventurous, with a huge flower arrangement in red ink on orange card, his name and the studio locations relegated to a strip at the bottom. It was an unusual design, but by the turn of the decade he had returned to a more recognisable and conventional format, referred to by Roger Vaughan as "Bamboo & Roses," originally developed by Marion Imp Paris but widely copied.
1881-1883
1882-1885
After a rather more sedate, refined design largely made up of text in several different font types and sizes, with a subordinate motif, Clayton returned to the more decorative style in 1883. His version of Marion Imp's "Parasol, Bonsai and Fan" design, embellished with two horseshoe magnets signifying his "Magnet Studio," was part of the growing British enthusiasm for all things oriental (e.g. The Mikado). He used it for some years, including variants printed by other card publishers.
1885-1888
1889-1891
From the late 1880s and into the 1890s, numerous classical elements, such as Doric colums, lavish drapes, Greek vases, flowering plants, cherubs and toga-clad ladies began to grace card designs, particularly those for the larger cabinet format. On cartes de visite, where there wasn't quite as much space to fit the myriad of new motifs, stylisation of the classical motifs was more prevalent, and such was the case with a series of lavish designs which Walter Clayton depicted in a variety of colours in the late 1880s.
Finally in the early 1890s, in keeping with a style adopted by many of his co-workers in the mid- to late 1880s, he banished all previously used design elements. Thick glossy card- white or dark green - was adorned merely whith his name and location on the front printed in gold ink. The edges of the card were bevelled, as well as being highlighted with gold ink.
Walter Clayton retired in 1892, and therefore missed a few of the final developments in card design, such as more elaborate classical ensembles, art deco elements, square corners, and wide margins containing embossed patterns on the front. However, his range over a period of 32 years has a good selection indicative of the main trends. For further detail regarding card designs, I recommend spending some time perusing Roger Vaughan's study. I still use it frequently to provide a background for my own research.
At 2.30 in the morning on Thursday 10th June 1886 - 125 years ago last Friday - many Auckland residents were woken by a continuous series of loud, but distant, explosions. Flashes could be seen on the horizon and it was assumed, even by writers compiling the early edition of The New Zealand Herald, that some vessel in the Manukau Harbour had exploded [2]. If George Valentine, his wife Minna and their three children, by some chance, did not wake until a more respectable hour, they would soon have heard the news, even at their home in the borough of Parnell. By nine o'clock the Auckland Evening Star offices had received reports of a "tremendous outburst of volcanic activity ... in the Rotorua District, surpassing anything of the kind ever experienced in New Zealand." [3]
Te Wairoa Township, c.1886 [4]
Valentine was familiar with the "Hot Lakes," having visited Rotorua and the nearby Lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana early the previous year on a photographic excursion. George Dobson Valentine (1852-1890) was a son of the renowned Scottish pioneer photographer and publisher of views James Valentine (1815-1880). After his father's death, he and his brother William had continued to expand the photographic business.
"In The Tiki Tapu Bush" - January 1885 [5]
However after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, he emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1884, in the hope that the climate would revive his health. Initially settling in Nelson, he had begun publishing photographic views under his own name, and one of his earliest projects was a photographic expedition to the Rotomahana District, near Rotorua, with Auckland bookseller Charles Chapman.
"Rotomahana Hotel, Te Wairoa" - January 1885 [6]
From Auckland, they travelled via Cambridge, Oxford (now called Tirau) and Rotorua over several days in January 1885. The journey to Te Wairoa, on the shores of Lake Tarawera, was a shorter leg, and they were able to spend some time admiring the pristine podocarp forest at Tikitapu. They spent the night at Joseph McRae's Rotomahana Hotel, and obtained permission from the local chiefs to camp at the famous Pink and White Terraces.
"White Terrace and Lake Rotomahana" - January 1885 [7]
Early the following morning on 13 January 1885 Valentine and Chapman departed by whale boat across Lake Tarawera to the small settlement of Te Ariki. They were accompanied by Guide Sophia, chief Tamihana Te Keu, a small group of tourists and the crew. A short walk then ensued to the "warm lake" Rotomahana, where the vista opened up to reveal the famed Te Tarata or White Terraces. Coincidentally, artist Charles Blomfield was camped nearby, in the middle of a lengthy stay during which he would paint a number of now well known views of the terraces.
"Coffee Cups, White Terraces" - January 1885 [8]
Clik image to read full series of articles
They set up camp close to the White Terraces and remained for several days, during which time Valentine produced over 40 scenic views with his glass plate camera, including this atmospheric image of the almost waxy looking siliceous basins with a fine veil of steam. After his return home to Nelson, these views were later published and marketed by Chapman. One of them was awarded a second prize at the New Zealand Industrial Exhbition in August, pipped at the post by Alfred Burton of Dunedin.
Great Volcanic Eruption. Terror in Hot Lake District The Auckland Evening Star, 10 June 1886 [3]
The Valentine family had moved to Auckland in October 1885, and had therefore been living there for some eight months on the morning that the dreadful news broke concerning the "terror in the Hot Lake district." News of the tragic loss of life was greeted with dismay, almost matched by the despair at reports of the devastation, affecting both personal property and the countryside, and including the Pink and White Terraces.
"Tiki-Tapu Bush, After Eruption" - October 1886 [9]
Photographers were on site recording the devastation within days, but George Valentine did not make it there until early October. He and Chapman were accompanied by Joseph McRae, whose hotel at Te Wairoa had been all but demolished in the ash fall, and guide Alfred Warbrick. The luxurious bush at Tikitapu was now an array of bare wooden tree trunks, sadly stripped of all signs of the green thicket captured so vividly the previous year.
"Te Wairoa. McRae's Hotel, Sophia's Whare and Terrace Hotel" - October 1886 [10]
They sheltered for the night in what remained of McRae's collapsed hotel before being rowed across the lake to Te Ariki. The scenes which they encountered, and which Valentine photographed, revealed a landscape denuded of all vegetation, and most recognisable landmarks were obliterated with a thick blanket of grey volcanic ash. Smoke and steam were spurting out of the ground in many locations, and when they reached the former site of the White Terraces, the valley had been filled with an enormous lake, several times the size of the original Rotomahana.
"Rotomahana, from Hape O' Toroa" - October 1886 [11]
Both the Pink and White Terraces were gone, replaced with the all encompassing tephra field, criss-crossed with erosion gullies and hard to traverse. Valentine returned to the area a month later to take further photographs of the southern part of the volcanic area, near Waimangu, accompanied by government engineer John Blythe. The results were published in several different formats and publications, which is fortunate, as the original glass plate negatives have not survived. The images displayed here are from prints and copy negatives in the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library and Te Papa. The Assistant Surveyor-General later "determined," after surveying the area, that the White Terraces had been destroyed.
"Mnts. Tarawera and Ruawahia from Te Ariki" - October 1886 [12]
Valentine visited the area again in 1887 and 1889, and made further photographic excursions to the Pacific Islands of Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa and Rarotonga (1887), as well as to the previously little known limestone caves at Waitomo (1889). However, his first two sets of landscapes from the "Hot Lakes" region are perhaps better known than the rest. This image of the muddy shore of Lake Tarawera, with the mass of the ash-covered volcano forming a forbidding backdrop, and the lone boatman beaching what is presumably Warbrick's recently launched whaleboat, is one of the most enduring - and for me, haunting - of Valentine's post-eruption photographs.
On 26 February 1890, shortly after his return from photographing Pohutu and other geysers at Whakarewarewa, near Rotorua, George Valentine succumbed to the tuberculosis which had brought him to New Zealand. He was only 38 years old. His wife and children returned to Dundee, Scotland soon after.
Epilogue
The question of whether the Pink and White Terraces had been destroyed during Tarawera's eruption, or whether they were buried under layers of ash, has been revisited several times. The latest boost to this story, nicely timed for the 125th anniversary of the event, is the news that a team from GNS and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have discovered at least portions of both the Pink and White Terraces intact, submerged in Lake Rotomahana. The disappointing one-hour (including adverts) documentary that Prime aired on Sunday evening was long on history and hype, and very short on hard fact and images, with only a few brief underwater clips of the shown towards the end of the hour-long session. However, this web page from GNS includes a 4:37 minute video (click image above) by Dr Cornel de Ronde discussing the discoveries, with plenty of great images (and another YouTube video here).
References
[1] Blomfield, Charles (1886) Mount Tarawera in eruption, June 10, 1886 (From the native village of Waitangi, Lake Tarawera, New Zealand), W. Potts, lithograph after C. Blomfield, publ. Wanganui, New Zealand: A.D. Willis, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. C-033-002.
[3] Anon (1886) Great Volcanic Eruption: Terror in Hot Lake District, The Auckland Evening Star, 10 June 1886, from Papers Past, courtesy of National Library of New Zealand.
[4] Wairoa township, from Te Komiti, Lithograph 313 x 216 mm by unknown artist, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. B-051-009.
[5] In the Tiki Tapu Bush, near Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), Rotorua, 41, Albumen print, 190 x 289 mm, by George D. Valentine, January 1885, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA7-54-24.
[6] Rotomahana Hotel, Te Wairoa, 38, Albumen print, 292 x 191 mm, by George D. Valentine, January 1885, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA7-60-02.
[7] White Terrace and Lake Rotomahana, Albumen print, by George D. Valentine, January 1885, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA1-q-138-009.
[8] Coffee Cups, White Terraces, Albumen print, 290 x 189 mm, by George D. Valentine, January 1885, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA1-q-212-20.
[9] Tiki-Tapu Bush, after Eruption, 119, Albumen print, 187 x 289 mm, by George D. Valentine, October 1886, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA7-54-03.
[10] Te Wairoa. McRae's Hotel, Sophia's Whare and Terrace Hotel, Albumen print, 292 x 192 mm, by George D. Valentine, October 1886, courtesy of Museum of New Zealand/Te Papa Tongarewa, Ref. O.030859.
[11] Rotomahana, from Hape O' Toroa, 146, Albumen print, by George D. Valentine, November 1886, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA1-q-138-005.
[12] Mnts. Tarawera and Ruawahia from Te Ariki, 129, Albumen print, 290 x 188 mm, by George D. Valentine, October 1886, courtesy of Timeframes & the Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref. PA7-54-01.
People change their names for many reasons. One might speculate at length as to why basketmaker James Byron Clayton (1826-1880) abandoned his family name when opening a photographic studio in Nottingham in 1857. The simplest argument, and probably the closest to the truth, is that described by Bernard and Pauline Heathcote in their booklet, Pioneers of Photography in Nottinghamshire [1].
His younger brother Walter Clayton (1833-1893) had already upstaged him by opening a studio in Greyhound Street, Nottingham a year earlier. Perhaps it was to distinguish himself in a rapidly growing market with numerous competitors, and his baptismal middle name, Byron, seemed to have a little more cachet. Whatever the purpose, he dropped the Clayton and simply became James Byron, photographer of Ram Yard, Long Row East.
When his son Joseph Clayton (1847-1923), in turn, entered the profession in 1867, taking over a studio in Blackfriars Street, London, he too styled himself in the fashion of an artist photographer. With lofty ambitions, his first carte de visite mounts were ordered from the printers with the name Byron Clayton, supplemented by the description, "Parliamentary & Portrait Photographer," perhaps more aspirational than by actual appointment.
Joseph Byron Clayton, c.1875-1876
Image courtesy of Heathcote & Heathcote (2001) [1]
Sadly, Joseph's sojourn in London was short one. After a run-in with the constabulary and a brief spell of incarceration, he returned to Nottingham and entered business with his father around 1870, an arrangement which continued until the latter's retirement in 1876. In 1873 and 1874 Joseph also operated the oddly named Magnet Studio in Leicester jointly with his uncle Walter, although the partnership did not last for long.
James Byron Clayton died in 1880, shortly after which Joseph opened a new Nottingham studio in Bridlesmith Gate. He must have done sufficient business to be able to order a sequence of fresh card mount designs, such as the one displayed above with a Georgian flavour. By early 1886, however, the business was in significant financial difficulty, and a further move to Smithy Row was insufficient to stave off bankruptcy proceedings.
The Byron family, Nottingham, 1888
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.4.1 [2]
In the summer of 1888 Joseph Byron decided to make a new start. He, his wife Julia (née Lewin) and their eldest daughter travelled to New York in September, with their remaining four children following a month later, accompanied by Julia's mother.
A scene from Fred R. Hamlin's production of "The Wizard of Oz" at the Majestic Theatre, 1903
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 41.420.748 [2]
Initially Joseph Byron practised as a freelance press photographer for the Illustrated American and other clients, but in 1889 he made a foray into theatrical photography. According to David Shields [4]:
Sarony studio's control of the theatrical portrait trade prompted Byron to make sittings a secondary concern, concentrating instead on production stills. He was one of the pioneers in the creation of stage images that could be used in programs, memorial brochures, and magazines ... The most artistic of the early 'stage picture' photographers, Joseph Byron attempted to capture the dynamic of stage action from unusual angles at moments of acute emotional impact.
Portrait, Ethel Barrymore, c.1902 - "More regal than royalty."
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.8603 [2]
He was not averse to taking formal portraits at sittings when the opportunity arose, such as this drawing room sitting of Ethel Barrymore taken at around the time she gave out what would become her most famous line, "That's all there is, there isn't any more."
The New York Times Building under construction
1 Times Square, c.1903
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.16687 [2]
Eventually his wife Julia and several of their children, including son Percy, all became involved in the photographic business. The Museum of the City of New York has an extensive collection of prints and glass plate negatives by the Byron Company, with over 24,000 images online [2]. The breadth of Byron's prolific output in the 1890s and early 1900s demonstrates his willingness to search for clients and subjects in all parts of the metropolis. This photograph, typical of his many architectural views, provides an unusual early view of the Times Building under construction in Times Square.
Children, Playing on streets, 1908
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.3171 [2]
His street views were a little more lively, and he might just as easily capture a gaggle of kids playing on a street corner in a run-down neighbourhood (image above), as a party of friends out for a thrill on the pleasure rides at Coney Island.
Miss Jackson, Bath Beach, New York, 1898
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.1311 [2]
It seems likely that some of his work consisted of on the spot commissions, such as this delightful shot of a Miss Jackson trying out an early bathing costume at Bath Beach, for which one assumes he must have entered the water himself.
Thomas A. Edison, 1904
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.8765 [2]
Although he is perhaps best remembered for his New York cityscape views and theatrical compositions, his business was incredibly varied. He was apparently just as happy to visit Thomas Alva Edison's laboratory (above) as he was to stand in the street outside Lazarus Levy's clothing store on East Broadway (below).
30 East Broadway. A crowd of children in front of L. Levy, Manufacturer of Clothing, 1898
Gelatin silver print by J. Byron, Ref. 93.1.1.17141 [2]
His son Percy Byron followed him into the practice, but in 1906 moved to Edmonton, Alberta where he established a photographic business with his brother-in-law Gustave May. The Byron-May partnership experienced a significant downturn in business during the Great War, and Percy returned to New York. He rejoined his father, and spearheaded a new specialisation into ship photography.
Joseph and Julia Byron, 1904
Gelatin silver print by the Byron Company, Ref. 93.1.4.7 [2]
Joseph Byron died in 1923, after which Percy took over the Byron Company and continued to run it successfully until the middle of the Second World War, when business once again declined, and the company was finally wound up in October 1942 [3]. Percy Byron died on 10 June 1959.
My profile of the Byron-Clayton family in Nottingham and London, prior to Joseph's emigration to New York, is supplemented with a gallery containing numerous examples of their portrait work.
This article is a submission to Sepia Saturday 78. For further serendipitous finds from the sepia archives, it's well worth a visit.
[3] Simmons, Peter (1999) Gotham Comes of Age: New York Through the Lens of the Byron Company, 1892 - 1942, Pomegranate Communications, 216p. ISBN 0764909061. Partially available online from Google Books.
[4] Joseph Byron, on Broadway Photographs: Art Photography and the American Stage, 1900-1930.
[5] Payne, Brett (2011) James Byron Clayton (1826-1880) & Joseph Byron Clayton (1847-1923) of Nottingham.
, Nelson, New Zealand: Craig Potton Publishing, 132p.
, Nottinghamshire County Council, 62p.
: New York Through the Lens of the Byron Company, 1892 - 1942, Pomegranate Communications, 216p. ISBN 0764909061. Partially available online from