Cabinet Card by Wakefield, 1 High Street, Ealing, early 1900s

Ealing is a suburb about nine miles due west of the centre of London.  I have lived there, in four different houses now, for nearly 20 years so it seemed an obvious topic to cover!  For the purposes of this article I am restricting ‘Ealing’ to the areas of Ealing Broadway, South Ealing, North Ealing, and Northfields.  I will probably also include Hanwell and Boston Manor, as that is where I live, and then in time look to expand it to cover areas such as Acton, Brentford, Greenford and and Southall.  By early photographers I mean pre World War 1.  And by their nature, most of these studios were portrait studios, so most examples are of unknown individuals rather than old views of Ealing itself.

Photographic studios

Here’s a first stab at a simple list of all the Ealing photographic studios I have found, and a summary of what I know about them so far.  Initial  sources are:

1. Photographer listings on www.photolondon.org.uk
2. Items seen listed on eBay
3. Items shared by other users on Flickr
4. My personal collection as shared on Flickr

Note that I have not yet consulted the excellent (but not free) www.victorianphotographers.co.uk which I am sure will fill in a lot of gaps and answer many questions, especially in relation to dates.  I will also try to undertake some genealogical research, and have made contact with the Ealing Local History Centre where I will aim to look at local trade directories, maps etc.

Bell, Edwin

Listed as a photographer living in Ealing in 1881, 1891 & 1901 census records. Formerly assistant with Lock & Whitfield. [1a]

Examples: Cabinet cards [2, 2, 2, 2]

Bridge, E.L.

There is no mention of EL Bridge on www.photolondon.org.uk [1]; the only reference to this studio I have found so far is from the carte de visite that was listed on eBay (see below)

Examples: Carte de visite [2]

Hopgood, E.

Edwin James [Jas] Hopgood b1862, or father Edward (both photographers).  Check comments in source link for further location info, provided by Flickr user Paul J Hilton [3j]

Neither Edwin nor Edward Hopgood is listed on www.photolondon.org.uk [1]

Sandringham Studio, High St [3k]

Examples: Carte de visite [2, 3v (6 images)]

Lock & Whitfield

Unknown woman by Lock & Whitfield, The Common, Ealing

A well known and sizable studio, first based in central London and then opening a branch in Brighton.  I am not sure as yet when the Ealing studio opened, but I suspect it was around 1880.

Samuel Robert Lock and George C Whitfield [3s]

“printing establishment moved from Kensington to Ealing March 1869; still in operation 1908.” [1b]

When sold in 1908 address given as Burlington House, Uxbridge Road, Ealing Common [1b]; this address, assuming it to be the same, is now a council run care home and is situated as you leave Ealing Broadway heading east (into London) along the Uxbridge Road, just before Ealing Common.

Also at 178 Regent Street, September 1856 – 1894 [1b]; shown on cabinet cards – see examples below

See also George Carpe Whitfield, in Additional Names section below – I now believe that this is the Whitfield related to the Lock & Whitfield studio.

Examples: Cabinet card [2, 2, 2, 2, 4c]; unknown format(CdV?) [3u]; Woodburytypes [3t (many images)]

McLanachan, J.L.

Likely John Lorimer McLanachan; b. 1845 Ayrshire [3b]

2 The Mall [3c]

It is suggested that he may have only been in Ealing for a couple of years c. 1881 (possibly after which EC Porter took over at 2 The Mall) – see comprehensive comments from Flickr user Paul J Hilton[3b]

There is no mention of JL McLanachan on http://www.photolondon.org.uk [1]

Examples: [3w (5 images)]

Muir, Samuel John

78 Uxbridge Road [2]; 78 Uxbridge Road, Ealing 1895 – 1904 [1c, 3n]

In 1891 he is recorded as living at 67 Eccleston Road, Ealing (I suspect far too small to run any sort of business – I used to live at 84), and then in 1901 at the studio address at 78 Uxbridge Road [1c]

Percy John Muir, Samuel’s son, is listed in 1901 as a  photographic assistant living at 78 Uxbridge Road, Ealing [1d]

Examples: Carte de visite [3n]; Cabinet card [2]; Real photo postcard [3p]

Unknown woman by EC Porter, The Mall, Ealing

Porter, Edward Cecil

6 The Esplanade [3e, 3i, 3m]
2 The Mall [3g]
20 The Mall [2]

Census records show him at 2 Cumberland Terrace in 1892 as an artist/painter, then as a photographer at 2 The Mall in 1891, then 20 The Mall in 1901.

Kelly’s Directory for Ealing records (accessed via www.historicaldirectories.org):
1889-90: 2 The Mall
1893-4: 20 The Mall and then states “photographer (Holcombe)” which I’m not too clear on the meaning of.
1907: 21 The Mall

There are several records of the surname Porter on www.photolondon.org.uk, but none for Edward Cecil. The most notable is Mary Ann who was a photographic mounter living on Windsor Road in 1891 and 1901 – I have a feeling she will be a relative of Edward [1e]

Examples: Carte de visite [2, 3f, 3h, 3l, 3o, 4a]; Cabinet card [3a, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3d]

Unknown lady, by Alfred Raines, 7 Queens Terrace, Ealing Dean

Raines, Alfred

The only record I currently have of this studio is a single cabinet card that I own.  Raines is not listed on www.photolondon.org.uk.  There are however records on www.victorianphotographers.co.uk which I shall have to access.

7 Queens Terrace, Ealing Dean [4b]

Examples: [4b]

Wakefield, Frank

21 The Mall, Ealing 1897 – 1901 [1f]
1 High Street, Ealing 1902 – 1904 [1f]

Unknown man & woman (groom & bride?) by Wakefield, 1 High Street, Ealing

The census records show him in 1901 as a photographer living at 24 Oxford Road, Ealing [1f]; his three sons also worked in the business – Edward Arthur, Frank Graham & George Hamilton Wakefield; he had worked until 1880 in the City in partnership with Henry Holden Bray

Examples: Cabinet card: [4a (7 images)]; Unknown format [3q, 3r]

Whitfield

see Lock & Whitfield

Additional names

I have come across several other names of photographers who at some point lived in Ealing.  These may all warrant further research, but for now I shall just list them.  All information is sourced from www.photolondon.org.uk unless stated.

Atkinson, Arthur Woodcroft – 1901: photographer living at 65 Warwick Road, Ealing

Bagley, Arthur John – 1881: photographer living at 4 Coningsby Road, Ealing

Bradshaw, Alfred Herbert – 1901: photographer living at 92 Park Road North, Acton.

Bradshaw, Charles Frederick – 1901: photographer living at 92 Park Road North, Acton

Bulley, Herbert – 1881: photographic assistant living at 20 Princes Road, Ealing

Bullingham, Henry – 1891: photographer living at 8 Heathfeld Road, Acton.
1901: photographer living at 40 Avenue Road, Acton (studio was in Kensington)

Burow, Ralph – 1901: photographer living at 9 Churchfield Road East, Ealing (studio in Regent Street)

Edwards, Benjamin Joseph – 1901: photographic chemist living at Greylands Lodge, Castle Bar Park, Ealing (not a photographer as such, but I have included him as the photolondon listing shows many fascinating looking photographic patents against his name, and his firm moved to Castlebar Works, Ealing Dean in 1905)

Fleming, Mary – 1891: photographer with father Lewis Baldwin Fleming, living at Norwood Villa, High Street, Hanwell

Foxlee, Edward William Michael – 1881: photographer living at 1 Gloucester Villas, Acton. 1891 & 1901: photographer living at 22 Goldsmith Road, Acton.

Garratt, James Philip -1901: photographer living at Wooden Cottage, Warwick Road, Ealing.

Gay, David – 1881: photo enameller living at 2 Shirley Villas, Hanwell. 1901: retired, living in Ealing.

Gill, Sydney – 1901: photographer living in Ealing.

Glasse, Thomas Allan – 1891: photographer living at 30 Arlington Road, Ealing.

Hall, William Henry – 1881: photographer living at 18 Coningsby Road, Ealing.
1891: photographer living at 7 Shakespeare Road, Acton.

Hyatt, James Hallett L – 1891: photographer living at 1 Hamilton Road, Ealing.
1901: photographer living at 3 Kent Villas, Kent Gardens, Ealing (studio in Great Russel St, Bloomsbury)

Lewis, Stephen Charles – 1881: Autotype printer living in Hanwell (studio at 3 Ealing Terrace, Uxbridge Road, Hammersmith 1888 – 1889)

Martyn, Frank – 1901: photographer living at 12 Argyle Road, Ealing. Also artist (earlier, studios in Islington and Westminster)

Mason, Frederick G – 1891: photographer living at 25 Coldershaw Road, Ealing.
1901: photographer living at 8 Holly Park Terrace, Hanwell

Parker, William Edward – 1901: photographer living in Acton.

Praetorius, Charles B – Employed at Autotype Establishment, Ealing June 1870. Studios in Kensington 1872-1891

Sawyer, John Robert Mather – 1881: photographer living at 51 Windsor Road, Ealing. 1884: photographer living at 3 Windsor Road, Ealing.  In addition there are several mentions of companies, patents and bibliographic references relating to printing processes, including autotypes.

Sisman, Thomas Limbird – 1891: photographer living at 1 Broomfields, Broomfield Road, Ealing Dean.
1901: photographer living at 37 Broomfield Road, Ealing Dean.

Spencer, John Alexander – 1874: photographer living at Brownlow House, Ealing Dean. Joined Autotype Company in 1870

Taylor, Joseph & Harold – father & son; 1901: both photographers living at 18 Alacross Road, Ealing

Vidler, Frederick William Wilson – 1881: photographer living at 5 Avenue Road, Ealing (later, studios in Willesden)

Watson, Edward Ellis – 1901: photographer living at Burlington House, Uxbridge Road, Ealing.

George Carpe Whitfield – 1881: photographer living at 14 Sandringham Road, Ealing.  Several business interests and mentions of printing, especially Woodburytypes, and also as the founder of the Paget Prize Plate Co and patent holder for Paget colour plates. However, other sources typically list this as G S Whitfield, and I have since discovered that in 1891 he worked with a George Sydney Whitfield (relationship unknown).  I now believe that  George Whitfield is linked to the Lock & Whitfield studio.   [3s] gives the names as Samuel Robert Lock and George C Whitfield, and I have also found many excellent examples of  Woodburytypes by this studio [3t].

Whiting, Charles Rowland – 1881: photographer living at 14 Denmark Villas, Ealing. Lodger.
1891: photographic operator living at 48 Denmark Road, Ealing. Studios in Camden and Shepherd’s Bush various dates 1866-1887.

Wilkinson, William Thompson – 1881: photographer living at 1 Bloomfield Place, Broomfield Road, Ealing Dean; bankrupt in 1882 then studio in Kensington 1883-4.

Comments

Just compiling this overview highlights a few things of note:

- a number of photographers used the studio at 2 The Mall

- most of the records and examples found date from c. 1880 or later.  This may be no coincidence, as it was at that time that Ealing expanded rapidly with teh arrival of the Metropolitan District Railway (now London Underground’s District Line)

- I am fascinated by a couple of mentions of Ealing in the Additional Names section above, especially the many mentions relating to autotypes and one of the “Autotype Establishment, Ealing”.  I have not pursued this line of enquiry in any depth, but a quick search found information about the Autotype Company which moved from Brixton to Brownlow Road (in what is now known as West Ealing) and at one point employed 70 people – see http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=13318&inst_id=118&nv1=search&nv2=.  Furthermore the company that acquired Autotype, MacDermid, has a page about the history of the company and a photograph of the Ealing works.  It also states that they moved away from Ealing by 1978 and “There are currently no traces of the old factory in Ealing as the site was used by the Ealing council to provide social housing” – see http://www.cps.eu/autotype.nsf/pages/europeaboutHistory

- likewise through George Carpe Whitfield and George Sydney Whitfield I have discovered that the Woodbury Permanent Photographic Printing Co was at Kent Gardens, Ealing until moving in 1897 – see http://www.photolondon.org.uk/pages/details.asp?pid=8659