Victorian photographers


Abingdon photographers and their studios

We have discovered that between the early 1860s and the early 1900s more than a dozen photographers operated studios in Abingdon, although not all of them at the same time, with two or three of continuing to trade until the mid 1920s. We have found examples of CDVs produced by a number of these studios and these are shown below. It would appear from the details on the backs of the cards that some of the studios were operated by a number of different owners over time, and that some photographers moved into new or extended premises, a few branching out into picture postcards. We have a number of different examples of postcards published by photographers and printers from Abingdon in our postcard collection.

The photographers and their studios which are featured on this page are the result of our initial researches and may contain errors and omissions, so we would love to hear from any readers who may be able to provide more information. We have been able to find examples of CDVs and cabinet photographs from a number of the studios which operated in Abingdon during Victorian times. Those in our collection are illustrated below.

We have developed a list showing known Abingdon photographersClick or tap link to see the list
(pdf document format)
using data from trade directories and details on the back of CDVs in our collection, it will be updated should new information come to light.

~~ Click or tap on any CDV thumbnail below to see a much enlarged version ~~

Abingdon High Street Abingdon in the early 1900s 17 High Street in 2022
High Street in the early 1900s
Detail from postcard by unknown publisher, franked 'Oxford 25 April 1907'

17 High Street

The site of this property can be a little hard to find as it, and many of the buildings around it have been replaced over the years. Near here the road was quite narrow, leading to it being known as 'The Narrows', and this was the scene of a major fire in 1884 which led to much demolition and the opportunity to widen the road. Number 15 was the site of the large Lion Hotel which was formed in around 1866 from two previously separate businesses, the Lion and the King’s Head. The original Lion was within a four-gabled building to the left of the pair and was demolished in 1936 after being sold for development with two modern shops, Woolworth's and Timothy Whites, being built with offices above. The right hand double-gabled buiding, still number 15, continued to trade as The Lion public house until it closed in 1987. Despite the building being given Grade II listed status in 1951, demolition started, but work was stopped when evidence of an early roof structure was found, the oldest part of which is reputed to date from 1291. In 1895 the large and impressive building was erected to the left of number 17. Between two shops on the ground floor is an impressive doorway which once gave access to the 'Free Library' above, now converted to flats. Sandwiched between the buildings described is the current number 1717 High Street in 2022
As seen in 2022
which also dates from the 1936 redevelopment of the old Lion site. The original building can just be made out on this postcard from the early 1900s. Following the range of buildings from right to left the six gables of the enlarged Lion Hotel can be traced and then the white gable end of number 17 can be made out. Hover over the image to see that portion enlarged. Its outline can still be seen on the wall of the old library building.

Abingdon High Street Abingdon in the early 1900s
High Street circa 1900
Undated postcard by unknown publisher'

This second postcard view was taken at street level looking East from the junction of West St. Helen Street and High Street. Luckily for the photographer the roads appear to be almost deserted. The right most window from number 17 can be seen on the immediate left with the letters 'TON' being just visible above. Whilst the postcard is undated, this helps to establish that it must have been taken sometime between 1890 and 1908 when the premises were occupied by James Brewerton (see below for a photograph taken in around 1900 of the whole of Brewerton's shop front). Next is the original Lion Hotel with its four gables above which, together with number 17, was demolished for development. The twin gables of what was originally the King's Head, and later the Lion public house, are next. This building, still numbered 15, and all the others visible in the photograph on both sides of the road were given Grade II listed status in 1951 and remain largely unchanged other than for modern shop frontages and signage. In the distance can be seen the County Hall and Market House which faces the Market Place and was given Grade I listed status in 1951. A museum was first set up in the building in 1919 and it is now home to the Abingdon County Hall Museum.



Taken by Swindley Brooks
High Street, Abingdon.

John Swindley Brooks

As far as we can tell, John Swindley Brooks, operated a photographic studio at 17 High Street in Abingdon from sometime in the mid 1860s. He is seen in the census of 1861 as being aged 25 and living with a family in Wallingford. His relationship to the head of the household as being Servant, but his profession is noted as being a Photographic artist. In 1865 he married Martha Taylor who, at the time of the 1861 Census, was living with her parents, five sisters and four brothers in High Street, Abingdon. This may well have been at number 17 as, although not numbered, the census entry shows it to be the second property to the East of the Narrows. Various family members are recorded as being Innkeeper & Brewer, Barmaid and two as Eating House Keeper so their business was possibly based at the next door Lion Hotel. Changes took place in 1865/6 as Mary married John Swindley Brooks, the Lion Hotel was amalgamated with the King's Head, and the photographic business started at number 17, so the Taylor family could well have moved out at that time with James and Mary taking over the property. It is thought he had moved his family and photographic business from Abingdon to Leeds in 1869. The 1871 census sees Martha, recorded as Artist's wife, and two young children visiting her parents who were now living at 30 Stert Street.

Henry Jamyn Brooks

Possibly having moved to Abingdon with his brother, Henry Brooks is known from the 1861 Census to be living in the Market Place as a lodger with Ann Hartwell, a tobacconist, and working as an Artist in oils. When his brother left Abingdon in 1869 Henry took over the High Street studio trading as Henry J.Brooks. Reference to the various designs on the backs of his CDVs shows that he promoted himself variously as a photographer, artist & photographer, and photographer & bookseller. One version indicates that he traded in both Abingdon and Swindon at some time and we also know that he sold artists materials from the High Street premises. So far we have not been able to accurately date the different designs.

Henry married Selina Ann Couldrey in 1863 and the census of 1871 shows Henry, Selina, and their five children living in a house in the Vineyard. The entry also records that Henry's sister, Mary, was living with them and working as an Assistant in Photoshop. Henry is recorded as being Artist, Painting & Photog.. By 1876 the Harrods Directory notes the business as being Henry James Brooks, Photographer and Bookseller. The census of 1881 records Henry's profession as being Portrait Painter & Photographer. Their eldest Daughter, Emily aged 16, is noted as being Father's Assistant Portrait Painter.

The business operated as Brooks & Co. for a number of years until the mid 1880s and the design of the CDV card is, other than a change of name, identical to what we guess was the final Henry J.Brooks version. Henry and his family moved to London in about 1885.


H.Brooks, Abingdon


Mr Henry Brooks, Artist & Photographer
High Street, Abingdon

H.J.Brooks, Photographer
High Street, Abingdon

Brooks, Photographer
Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks
Abingdon & Swindon

Henry J.Brooks
Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks Artist & Photographer
Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks Artist & Photographer
Abingdon & Swindon

Henry J.Brooks Photographer & Bookseller
Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks
High St. Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks
High St. Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks
High St. Abingdon

Mr Henry J Brooks
High Street, Abingdon

Henry J.Brooks
High St. Abingdon

The business operated as Brooks & Co. for a number of years until the mid 1880s and the design of the CDV and cabinet cards are, other than a change of name, identical to what we guess was the final Henry J.Brooks version. Henry and his family moved to London in about 1885.


Brooks & Co.
High St. Abingdon

Brooks & Co.
High St. Abingdon

Geo. Peters Photographer
Abingdon, Berks.

George Peters

When Henry Brooks left Abingdon, the High Street studio is thought to have been taken over by George Peters for a couple of years. We have not been able to find anything referencing this photographer, other than the suggestion that he had previously operated from an address in East St Helen Street from the early 1880s. He certainly existed as evidenced by this CDV bearing his name.

Muddying the waters a bit, Kelly's Directory of 1887 shows a John Jackson Goldsmith Chemist & druggist as operating from 17 High Street. Further to this, the 1871 Census shows a widowed John Goldsmith with four children, and having a housekeeper and servant, living in Market Place working as a Chemist. The earlier census of 1861 records his profession as Chemist & Druggist. Kelly's Directory of 1869 lists him as a Chemist & druggist in High Street, and the 1876 Harrod's Directory sees him as Chemist & Druggist in High Street. It may be possible that John Jackson occupied the ground floor shop between 1867 and 1887 whilst the upper floors were used as a photographer's studio.


17 High Street Abingdon in the early 1900s
Brewerton's circa 1900
Courtesy of the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society

James George Brewerton

Following the elusive George Peters, the studio was taken over in 1887 by James George Brewerton who stayed for twenty years. The 1901 Census shows him living at 17 High Street with his wife and three of their children, and records him as being a Photographer operating on his own account. The census from ten years previously had them living in Exbourne Place with two sons and three daughters, his profession being Photographer. He had been in the trade for a while as the earlier census from 1881 shows him living at 12 Exbourne Place with his family and being a Photographers Assistant. The business appears regularly in Kelly's Directories, first in 1887 which shows him as being a photographer with a studio in High Street and living at 12 Exbourne Place. Entries in the directories from 1899, 1907, and 1903 simply record that his studio was at 17 High Street. Electoral registers from 1886 show him residing in Exbourne Place and the one from 1895 confirms that he had moved to live at 17 High Street. The business ceased to operate when he died aged 61 in 1908.

In the archive collection of the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society is this photograph, shown here with their kind permission, of two members of his family posing in front of the shop front sometime around 1900.

It is interesting to note that, as well as operating from the same premises, the design of his CDV card is, other than a change of name, identical to the Brooks & Co. version. The first cabinet photograph below has a plain back but the second example has a back echoing that of the CDV.


J.G.Brewerton
High St., Abingdon.

J.G.Brewerton
High St., Abingdon.

J.G.Brewerton
High St., Abingdon.

Tom Reveley

This photographer lived and worked in Wantage, but also had a presence in Abingdon for a short time. Tom Pring Reveley was born in Wantage in 1875 and in 1897, when he was 22 years old, a planning application in his name was approved to build a studio behind his house at 48 Market Place. In 1898, Tom Reveley and Mary Reid Carmichael were married in Wantage and the Electoral Register and census from 1901 show them to be living at 48 Market Place in Wantage, where they would stay for the next forty years. The 1911 Census records them having two sons, Guy and Philip, and employing a servant, both this and the earlier census record him as being a Photographer, an employer, and working from home.

Kelly's Directories from 1899, 1903, 1907,and 1915 record him as being Photographer, Market Place, Wantage. The only reference we found referring to Abingdon was in the Kelly's Directory from 1915 which records him as also being at 17 High Street in Abingdon. We now know that he took over the studio at 17 High Street in 1908 after James Brewerton died and that he engaged another photographer to help him. Percy (Baptised Percival) Jones moved from Derby with his wife and the census from 1911 records them boarding with a family in Ormond Road, Wantage. He is recorded as being 32 years old and a Photographer's Assistant. The census from 10 years previously shows Percy, aged 22, boarding with a family in Lincoln and working as a Photographic Printer. He may well have learned his trade with his father, Henry Jones, who was a photographer in Derby according to the 1881 Census.

We are grateful to Trevor Hancock who found an advertisement in the Berks & Oxon Advertiser of July 27th 1923
From the Berks & Oxon Advertiser, July 27th 1923
Transcribed by Colin Taylor, 2022
which neatly confirms exactly when Tom Revely occupied 17 High Street. It shows the property, together with the studio contents, was to be sold by auction the following Monday at the Lion Hotel. The advert confirms that Tom Reveley took over the property, studio, and business of J.G.Brewerton in 1908.

~~~~~~ ooooooOOOoooooo ~~~~~~ Tom also had an assistant at Wantage, Alice Mary Hoare, who had two brothers Arthur and Frank, with Frank later becoming a film producer. She first started as an assistant photographer with Tom around 1911 as she is recorded as being a photographer working with him in the studio at the time of the 1911 Census. Tom Reverley died in 1941, but as late as 1939 he is recorded as still being a photographer and living at 48 Market Place. Following Tom's death in 1941 his wife moved away, but Mary continued operating the photographic business in Wantage in his name until possibly the early to mid 1960s. There is an entry in the phone book from 1954 for 'Tom Reveley, 48 Market Place, Wantage, Photographer'. Planning permission was granted in 1968 for this and neighbouring buildings to be demolished and the site be extensively redeveloped. ~~~~~~ ooooooOOOoooooo ~~~~~~

A large number of postcards of Wantage and the surrounding area were also produced by Tom Reveley and several examples are in our collectionClick or tap link to see a gallery of these postcards .

William Charles Witham

In the August of 1923 local newspapers recorded the fact that a property containing photographic facilities, including a studio and a dwelling house on High Street, Abingdon, had been sold as a going concern to a Mr. William C. Witham for £1,200. This now takes it beyond the scope of our direct interest, but it is fascinating to learn that the property was to continue in use as a photographer's studio and shop after almost 60 years, and possibly right up until the 1936 redevelopment of this and the old Lion site.


Bath Street


Mrs. & Mrs. Fry
Bath St. Abingdon.

Mrs. A.Fry Photographer
Bath Street, Abingdon.

Mrs. & Mrs. Fry
Bath St. Abingdon.

Mrs. A.Fry Photographer
Bath Street, Abingdon.

Mr & Mrs Fry/Mrs A Fry

The first CDV probably dates from 1863 when the business is believed to have been started. It has Mr. & Mrs. Fry Bath St. Abingdon embossed at the foot, these being Arthur and Mary Fry. The business appears to have then been taken over by Mary, trading as Mrs A. Fry, still based in Bath Street and possibly with her son, also Arthur, as an assistant. Mary Fry appears to have dropped out from the business within a year or two and Arthur Fry carried on by himself in his own name, possibly relocating it to the Market Place at the same time.

According to the census of 1861, 14 year old Arthur Fry, born in Dartmouth, was living with his parents and their family in Thames Street. His mother, Mary, was aged 39 and his father, also Arthur and aged 36, was noted as being Clerk at Railway Station. There is therefore an interesting connection to the station at Culham as the GWR Register of Clerks in the service of the Company shows Arthur senior to have been a booking clerk at Culham between May and September 1856. He joined the GWR as a booking clerk at Didcot in December 1854 and was variously based at Didcot, Abingdon, Culham, Market Drayton, Oxford and finally back at Abingdon from where he resigned in February 1863. The family could well have lived throughout his railway service in Abingdon. His retirement in 1863 and the start of the photography business may well have been connected.


Nos. 15, 16 & 17 Market Place in 1893
Image ©The Francis Frith Collection

Market Place

Market Place was the location for many different businesses, the larger ones, such as numbers 15, 16 and 17, being alongside the square as seen in this image from 1893. Several smaller shops, numbered 1 to 5 but now replaced, were located behind the County Hall at the beginning of East St Helen Street. Queen Victoria's statue was relocated to the Abbey Gardens many years ago, and a number of the buildings around the square have been replaced or demolished over the years. Those buildings not demolished earlier, including those seen here, were given grade II listed status in 1971.

A short passageway can just be made out in the corner between numbers 16 and 17, it is still there connecting the Market Place with Stert Street. At one time 16-21 Market Place also had entrances in Stert Street17 High Street in 2022
2-8 Stert Street as seen in 2022
which were numbered as such. Number 8 Stert Street is the companion to 17 Market Place for example, although the doorway opening onto Stert Street no longer exists. This is relevant when reading entries in trade directories with addresses both in Market Place and Stert Street.



A.Fry Photographer
Market Place, Abingdon.


A. Fry

Arthur Fry (junior) operated his photography business for a few short years in the late 1860s somewhere in the Market Place, but the exact address is currently not known. We can find no reference to Arthur Fry in any trade directory that we have seen. It is possible that he relocated the business from Bath Street when he took over from his mother, and it moved with him when later left the area.

The census of 1871 shows Arthur H. Fry, aged 24, living in Plymouth with his wife and one year old son, also named Arthur. His profession is noted as being Photographic Artist and they had married in Plymouth during 1869. This suggests that he had moved to Devon by 1869 at the latest.



Wheeler & Day, Photographers
106 High Street, Oxford

Wheeler, Photographer
106 High Street, Oxford

Wheeler & Day, Photographers
106, High Street, Oxford

Wheeler, Photographer
106 High Street, Oxford


Wheeler & Day

Kelly's Directory from 1869 records Wheeler & Day as being Photographers in the Market Place but no other information can be found. It is quite possible that they took over the premises of Arthur Fry in the Market Place when he moved with his family away from Abingdon.

Whilst no further information has come to light about their business in Abingdon, Wheeler & Day are known to have had a studio at 106 High Street in Oxford which operated from 1866 until 1918.


East St Helen Street

This street is one of the earliest in Abingdon. Roman remains have been found below ground at a number of houses and many have medieval cellars. Over the years this street has seen a great diversity in properties, ranging from smaller to grander houses and a variety of businesses, some taking advantage of their riverside location. Number 17 was once the home of Abingdon's first telephone exchange. The National Telephone Company Limited are recorded in Kelly's directories of 1899, 1903, and 1907 as having a branch there. The NTC ceased to formally trade after 30 years on 31 December 1911 upon the expiry of its licence. The Postmaster General took over the NTC and its telephone systems and the NTC passed into liquidation.


W.H.Smallridge Artist & Photographer
Abingdon, Berks.

William Henry Smallridge

According the census of 1871, 17 year old William Henry Smallridge was lodging in Bigbury, in South Devon, and already working as a Photographic Artist. It is not known when he moved to Abingdon, but the 1881 Census records him, now aged 26, as an Artist and Photographer living with his wife Eliza, who he had married in 1877 in East St Helen Street. Interestingly she is recorded as Artist's wife. We don't know when they left Abingdon, possibly moving back to Devon after only a few years.

No entries have so far been found for W.H.Smallridge in trade directories of the time, however we did come across this CDV produced by him.

George Peters

We have not been able to find anything referencing this photographer, other than the suggestion that he had operated from an address in East St Helen Street from the early 1880s before moving to High Street (see above) in about 1887.


Abingdon High Street Abingdon in the early 1900s
Broad Street in the early 1960s
Photograph © Martin Loach, taken by Bernard Loach

Broad Street

Much of the historic heart of Abingdon was destroyed during the 1960s spate of 'modernisation'. We are fortunte that Bernard Loach took many photographs at the time and amongst them is this one looking west along Broad Street at the start of demolition, kindly made available to us by his son, Martin. All the buildings seen here, with the exception of the one on the left, were demolished to make way for a new shopping precinct, multi-storey car park, library, doctors' surgery and offices. The car park is now to the right of the image and the shopping centre is to the left where demolition can be seen to have started. Broad Street still existsBroad Street in 2022
Broad Street as seen in 2022
as far as the car park entrance and access to the rear of the precinct shops down the road on the left, but is now pedestrianised beyond there to where it joins Bath Street.

The large corner building, once also threatened with demolition, is number 10, so that on the opposite corner in the process of demolition was number 12, with 14 and 16 beyond.

American Photographic Co.

It has been suggested this company operated from a studio somewhere in Broad Street between the early to mid 1890s. This may be incorrect, as the 'American Photographic Company' is known to be an alternative trading name for 'U.S.A. Studios' which was the name of a firm of portrait photographers set up in 1907, and quickly establishing branches in and around London. We have seen the back of one of their photographs which lists branches 'in the Provinces'. Included in that list is one in Broad Street Reading, but not in Abingdon. No other information or examples of their work have been found to date which relate to Abingdon.

John Hickman

It has been suggested that John Hickman ran a photograpic business in Abingdon at some time, possibly around the late 1880s or early 1890s. No information has been found to support this in trade directories and the only census entry found dates from that of 1891 which records a John Hickman being in Broad Street Shop only, but no other details. No examples of his work have been found.

William James Vasey

We first find William J.Vasey, aged 25, in the 1891 Census. He is boarding with Eliza Ayris in Broad Street and working as an Ironmonger's Assistant. Ten years later, the census shows that he is now boarding with Albert Ayris, his sister and neice, Elizabeth Ann, in Marcham, and his profession is recorded as Photographer and being an employer. The next census in 1911 finds him, newly married to Elizabeth Ann, and living at 27 Victoria Road, Abingdon where they remained until he died in 1943 two years before his wife.

Whilst we believe that he started his business around 1896, the first reference to William James Vasey found in a trade directory is that in Kelly's of 1899 which notes that he is a Photographer whose business is located at 12 Broad Street. It is possible that he learnt his new trade with John Hickman later taking over from him. The business must have proved a success as in the Kelly's Directory of 1903 he is now recorded as being Photographer, Dealer in Photographic Materials & Picture Frame Maker having expanded into number 14. The directory from 1907 sees him expanding further to include number 16 and has also added Picture Dealer to his portfolio. At the time he advertised that the business was 'patronized by HM The King and HM Emperer of Germany , etc., etc'.His entry for 1915 has returned to being simply Photographer whilst still operating from 12 to 16 Broad Street. We believe he continued trading there until the end of the 1920s when he would have been in his early 60s.

W.J.Vasey also produced a large number of postcards for sale and several examples are in our collectionClick or tap link to see a gallery of these postcards .


19 West St Helen Street in 2022
19 West St Helen Street in 2022

19 West St Helen Street

We have yet to find a contemporary photograph of this building, but it, and number 21 which it joins, was given Grade II listed status in 1951. English Heritage lists the building as being timber framed and dating from the 1600s. Although much restored over the years, this photograph taken in 2022 shows the building, with 21 to the left and 17 to the right, much as it must have been seen around 1900.

Henry Charles Hemming(s)

The census records are somewhat misleading and therefore inconclusive. There is however one entry in the Kelly's Directory of 1899 which lists Henry Charles Hemming as being a Photographer based at 19 West St Helen Street, and the Electoral register from 1900 shows a Charles Hemmings living at that address. So far, we have been unable to find any examples of his work.


Nos. 3 & 1 Stert Street, and St Nicholas Church circa 1960
Image ©The Francis Frith Collection

1 Stert Street

Frank Warland Andrew

This photograph from the Francis Frith Collection shows the building and its close proximity to the church. We have not found a contemporary image of the studio frontage, but it just sneaks into a postcard view
St. Nicholas Church and Abbey Gateway
Published by William H.Hooke, Abingdon No. 77604
which was published by William H.Hooke around 1910. Being a competitor it is not surprising that the Stert Street studio was largely cropped from the image. Highly magnified from the original postcard, we think that the last few letters, DREW, can be made out on the shop front. The first gable of number 3 can be seen to the left of the image. This double-fronted, timber-framed, building dates from about 1470. It was built by Abingdon Abbey on land it owned between the Abbey wall and the River Stert after which the street is named. The Stert still runs in a culvert under the street and enters the Thames close to the end of Bridge and Thames Streets. For much of its later history the building was a public house, but is now a private residence and was awarded Grade II listed status in 1951.

The original number 1 Stert Street was demolished in the early 1960s to be replaced by the purpose-built Trustee Savings Bank. The bank had opened earlier in the old building but finally closed in 2020, and at the time of writing the ground floor had been converted into a coffee shop1 Stert Street in 2022
1 Stert Street as seen in 2022
.

Being immediately adjacent to St Nicholas Church he initially called it the 'St. Nicholas Studio'

Click or tap link for a larger image
. Reference to the back of the cabinet photographs below shows that the studio had been 'Patronized by H.R.H. Prince of Wales & H.R.H. Princess of Wales', and later 'Patronized by H.M.The King & H.M. The Queen'. This Royal connection was celebrated by its renaming to the grander 'The Royal Thames Studio'. The latter cards also change the description from Art Photographer to Art Photographers, and add that they are now Medallist: Oxford & Birmingham.

The census of 1891 records Warland Andrew, then aged 19, boarding in Shaftesbury and employed as Photographer. We are not sure when he moved to Abingdon, but he is recorded in the Electoral Register from 1897,1898 and 1899 as living in Stert Street and his qualification to vote noted as Shop. He must have visited New York in 1899 with his parents as he is noted as travelling back First Class from New York to Southampton with them on the S.S. New York in the May of that year, he being registered as Artist aged 27, and his father as Gentleman. In 1900 he married Theresa Agnes Louisa Roger in Bristol, the record showing that he was living at 10 Conduit Road in Abingdon at the time. He soon moved, as the 1901 Census shows him and his wife Theresa living at 4 Spring Terrace, and having a domestic servant, with him now being recorded as a Photographer working on his own account. By the time of the 1911 Census he had again moved, now living in Park Road with his wife and three daughters, he being a Photographer and an Employer. From the Electoral Registers that follow it is seen that he and his wife stayed at 22 Park Road until he died in 1940 and she in 1957.

The Kelly's Directories from 1899,1903,1907, and 1915 all record him as being Photographer with a business address as simply 1 Stert Street. The 1899 directory shows him sharing the building with Stephen Waite whose business was recorded as being, printer, stationer & music seller. Warland Andrew's photographic studio occupied most of the ground floor with a large doorway adjacent giving access to the printing works which occupied the first and second floors. It must have been quite noisy, but Stephen Waite had relocated his business to 20 Lombard Street by the time of the 1903 directory. We are not sure if another business moved in, or whether Warland Andrew took over the whole building.

A large number of postcards were also produced for sale by Warland Andrew and several examples are in our collectionClick or tap link to see a gallery of these postcards .


W.Andrew ABINGDON
Mini CDV 1⅝" x 3⅛"

Warland Andrew
St.Nicholas Studio, Abingdon

Warland Andrew
The Royal Thames Studio, Abingdon.

Warland Andrew
The Royal Thames Studio, Abingdon.

Warland Andrew
The Royal Thames Studio, Abingdon.

~~~~~~ ooooooOOOoooooo ~~~~~~

Henry Jamyn Brooks - a renowned portrait artist

Henry Jamyn Brooks, originally baptised as Henry James, came from an artistic family. His father, John Brooks, was the son of a Lancashire cotton manufacturer. John married Mary Swindley in Stockport in 1832 and their eldest son, Edward Thomas, was born a year or two later. Their next son, John Swindley, was born in Manchester in 1836. John Brooks’ profession was noted as being Artist on the boys' baptism records.

By 1839 the family had moved to Digbeth in Birmingham where Henry Jamyn was born. The registration of his birth shows father John as being a portrait painter. Their next son, Benjamin, was born at Ely in 1841. The census of that year records John and his family as living at 5 King's Parade, Cambridge, with his profession being given as Portrait Painter. Newspaper advertisements of the time have him offering lessons in oil and water colour painting and drawing, being a 'Portrait and miniature painter' and picture restorer. John and Mary also had two daughters, Mary born in 1842, and Helen in 1846.

It appears that the family returned to Birmingham sometime before 1851. John Brooks can be found in business directories of 1852/53 listed as a portrait painter, and in 1855 also as a photographer. By the 1861 Census he is widowed and living in Paddington, London, with his youngest son Benjamin. John is shown as being an Artist in Oil Paint, with Benjamin a Photographic Colourist.

Henry's elder brother John Swindley Brooks had also gone into the photography business, and was trading in Abingdon during the mid to late 1860s. Possibly having moved to Abingdon with his brother, Henry Brooks is known from the 1861 Census to be lodging in the household of Ann Hartwell, a tobacconist, and working as an Artist in Oils. Trade directories show that Henry had taken over the High Street studio by 1869 and was operating under his own name. Henry married Selina Ann Couldrey in 1863 and the census of 1871 shows Henry, Selina, and their five children living in a house in the Vineyard. The entry also records that Henry's sister, Mary, was living with them and working as an Assistant in Photoshop. Henry is recorded as being Artist, Painting & Photog.. By 1876 the Harrods Directory notes the business as being Henry James Brooks, Photographer and Bookseller. The census of 1881 shows Henry, Selina and their, now seven, children living at The Poplars in Shippon, just to the west of Abingdon. His entry records his profession as being Portrait Painter & Photographer. Their eldest Daughter, Emily Beatrice aged 16, is noted as being Father's Assistant Portrait Painter.

Two albumin print CDVs by H.J.Brooks, one of which is shown here
© National Portrait Gallery
ref NPG Ax9660
, are held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. They are both of Alfred Pott, then Principal of Cuddesdon Theological College, and are catalogued as being from the 1870s.

Abingdon Corporation 1877-1878
Photograph © Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council

Whilst in Abingdon, Henry's reputation as a portrait painter was growing, with him specialising in group portraits and social occasions. One such painting is that of Abingdon Corporation 1877-1878. The original can be seen in Abingdon Museum and a photograph of it appears on the ArtUK website. That photograph is reproduced here with the kind permission of Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council. It depicts members of the Corporation during the Mayoralty of John Tomkins and features Aldermen and Councillors. It is not known who commissioned the work, but it was presented to the Corporation at a meeting on the 20th March 1879 during the Mayoralty of William Ballard. Group scenes of this nature were very popular throughout the Victorian period but such pictures could never be painted entirely from life sittings, so individual portrait photographs would be used for reference together with sketches and notes.

The family left Abingdon in 1885 to live in London and Henry continued with his photographic and painting work producing many large and famous group paintings as well as smaller portraits. According to the 1891 Census he was an Artist, Portrait Painter (oil) and daughter Beartice, aged 26, was an Artist (oil). The family lived at 32 Vereker Road, and he had a small studio built in the garden. He was commissioned to paint the portrait of Tom Morris, known as the father of the game of golf, for example. He painted the first meeting of London County Council in 1889, which took place at County Hall in St James's, Westminster, and Polo at the Hurlingham Club, in 1890. His work includes Queen Victoria's Last Ceremony, when she received Lord Roberts and his staff on their return from the Boer War in 1901. Possibly his most famous work is 'A Private View of the Old Masters Exhibition in the Royal Academy', which he painted in 1888 and donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1919. Other works hang in the Royal Academy of Art, Royal College of Surgeons, Reading museum, the Royal Institution, Hunterian museum, the Wellecombe collection, and Brasenose college amongst others.