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Alfred Russell Photographer - can any one help?

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  • Alfred Russell Photographer - can any one help?

    Any ideas where I can look please.

    When a photographer shuts up shop would there be any way of finding out what happened to his stock/negatives etc. I have a photo of my great grandmother with 3 children (presumably my grandmother and her sisters). The photo has the name A Russell and 1 Orsett Rd (presumably Grays). The UK City and County Directories of 1917 and 1922 have an entry in Grays for Alfred Russell, Photographer and Pianoforte dealer. I would love to be able to confirm that this photo is definitely who I think it might be. My grandmother's family came from Wanstead so Grays is not too far away.

    Kind regards
    Bev
    Interested in the following:CRUSH from Essex and London; YOUNG from Wanstead Essex and East London; HODSON from Chester; and GERAGHTY/GERRITY from Chester and Co Mayo

  • #2
    I have similar photos, and, in addition, have photographer ancestors. The information that I found when I was researching: sitting books and the negatives of photos from that photographer rarely survive.

    I know I ran into sites that were devoted to early photographers.
    Here's one
    The invention of photography had a massive and everlasting impact on everyone; on commerce, on industry, on the rich and on the man in the street. Because of it we can actually see into the past! This site is all … Continue reading →

    but they don't have A Russell


    Nice write up on history of photography
    Don’t know a stereoscopic image from a selfie? Discover how Victorian inventors and entrepreneurs succeeded in capturing the very first images, and how the processes they used laid the foundations for photography for the next 140 years.


    Hmm, I don't think this is the photo you're talking about - scroll down to A Russell caption


    Frustrating, huh. My impression is that it was hard to make a living as a photographer.
    Last edited by PhotoFamily; 30-07-19, 18:26.

    Comment


    • #3
      I have 2 full albums of photos and did spend sometime a long time ago trying to see if I could get any info. I guess there were 1000s and 1000s of them that each photographer had, and people had several copies and sent them to relatives all over. A descendent of Nans' sister has some photos the same as me and we managed to get a few names between us. It would be great if there was a way.

      I have a vague recollection that I found website with some photographers and what happened to them.

      I scanned the back and front of every one of my photos, in the hope something would turn up - they are here - just for interest


      Carolyn
      Family Tree site

      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

      Comment


      • #4
        I've also found that little survives from early photographers ........... once they stopped working it was very common for family just to clear everything out, from negatives to records, usually throwing them in the garbage. I have similar photographs to yours, some identified, many not.

        As an example, there was an exhibit very recently here in Vancouver of photographs taken by a Chinese photographer, active in Vancouver's Chinatown between about 1900 and 1920. Most of the exhibits had been found by the woman who set up the exhibit in antique shops, garage sales, etc etc, and there were no names, just a similar style, mounting and photographer's name.

        As a result of that exhibit, people came forward and identified some of the photographs while others produced family heirloom studio photographs by the same photographer.

        It turned out that the photographer was noted for taking studio shots of immigrants other than Chinese at a time when "white" photographers would not do that.

        The photographer kept the glass plates, records, etc, and his sons eventually took over the studio, but when they decided to close down around 1976 .............. everything was taken to the dump "because no-one would be interested".
        My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

        Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Sylvia C View Post

          The photographer kept the glass plates, records, etc, and his sons eventually took over the studio, but when they decided to close down around 1976 .............. everything was taken to the dump "because no-one would be interested".

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post
            ... people had several copies and sent them to relatives all over.
            On my mother's side - my mother had a bunch of photos from the latter 1800s. There were names and dates on them, but no explanation of why the family had collected these people, tho some of them had the same surname.

            As I started to do my own research on my mother's family tree, I found out that her g'g'g'grandparents had had 14 children. 12 of the photos were of those descendants. Some of the photos were the descendants' spouses, children or grandchildren. This family had participated in a genealogy research, and seem to have connected with cousins and exchanged photos. I've connected with people who were grateful to receive copies - most copies were lost to time.

            Which begs the question - what will we do with our own research...

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by PhotoFamily View Post
              exactly!!
              My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

              Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

              Comment


              • #8
                I have been researching my treefor nearly 50 years now and have had many surprises and much excitement along the way. Probably the highlight of of all my research was when a newly discovered third cousin said casually that he had a photo of our mutual 2x ggm, taken in 1856! I nearly fell through the floor, no way would I have ever looked for a photo that early. Even stranger, when I received a copy it was just like looking at my youngest daughter, down to the mischievous sideways expression.

                OC

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Sylvia C View Post

                  The photographer kept the glass plates, records, etc, and his sons eventually took over the studio, but when they decided to close down around 1976 .............. everything was taken to the dump "because no-one would be interested".
                  I can understand though, now it is the sort of thing that could be digitised, then no one would want to store it, shame though having kept it for that long.
                  Carolyn
                  Family Tree site

                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by cbcarolyn View Post
                    I can understand though, now it is the sort of thing that could be digitised, then no one would want to store it, shame though having kept it for that long.
                    Even then, I'm surprised a local historical society wouldn't have snapped them up. The HistSoc in the town where my father grew up snapped up the records of a real estate office - I have the sale info for my father's house. Don't think it was when his family sold it, but not long after that.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      OC, I have a photo from not much later than that - my g'g'g'uncle was an infant in arms in the photo, some time in 1864.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        My local town hall some years ago threw out 70 years worth of local maps because no one wanted them. The irony is that the town hall housed the locl archive centre.

                        OC

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                        • #13
                          It's very much down to luck. Beamish Museum in County Durham was fortunate to have Frank Atkinson as its founder. He collected everything on offer, from buildings to photo collections. Their photo archive is now enormous.
                          Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by PhotoFamily View Post
                            Even then, I'm surprised a local historical society wouldn't have snapped them up. The HistSoc in the town where my father grew up snapped up the records of a real estate office - I have the sale info for my father's house. Don't think it was when his family sold it, but not long after that.
                            short answer ......... racism

                            I don't know whether the sons did try to pass them on, but even as late as the 1970s, the one word above could be felt.
                            My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

                            Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Bev -
                              You indicated that you had found A Russell in directories - can you give that link? Maybe we can apply our collective wits and find him
                              Last edited by PhotoFamily; 31-07-19, 05:21.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                I have a studio photograph of OH's 3 x gt grandmother, taken sometime between 1850 and 1860 .......... she was born in 1827 and married OH's 3 x gr grandfather in 1850. I then have another photo of her as a much older woman taken about 1881/2 holding her 2 small granddaughters, OH's grandmother and his great-aunt.

                                I'll try to post the earlier photo tomorrow, when I am more awake!
                                My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

                                Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  I just dipped into the FTF Reference Library Essex page and found the Thurrock Local History website, maybe their members have local knowledge of the photographers you are seeking.

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Many thanks to you all for your contributions. At least I am not alone with my problem, there are lots of us out there it seems.

                                    Photofamily - alas, the right photographer wrong photograph on your third link! I found A Russell in the 1917 & 1922 Kellys Directory in my Ancestry shoebox saved some years ago. Although I can still open them I cannot now find them on either Ancestry or FMP.

                                    Jill - I shall give Thurrock Local History a go and see if it leads to anything.

                                    Regards
                                    Bev
                                    Interested in the following:CRUSH from Essex and London; YOUNG from Wanstead Essex and East London; HODSON from Chester; and GERAGHTY/GERRITY from Chester and Co Mayo

                                    Comment


                                    • #20
                                      I like the idea that he sold pianos and also did photography My gr grandfather was a pianoforte maker amongst the many others in Camden area. He worked in Paynes.
                                      Carolyn
                                      Family Tree site

                                      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                      Comment

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