During Friday the 7th November, additional content has been added to the Photographer lists, 1840 - 1940. These include the remaining new content listed under: G, H, I, J, K, L, M, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y & Z.  Check out: Photographers 1840 - 1940.

Thanks

During this weekend, 1st and 2nd November, additional content has been added to the Photographer lists, 1840 - 1940. These include content listed under: D, E, F, N, O, P, Q & R. More new content to follow over the coming week. Check out: Photographers 1840 - 1940.

Thanks

This is a website about the photographers of Great Britain and Ireland from 1840 to 1940, their photographs, their studios and their customers.

Get information from the world’s largest collection of British and Irish carte de visite photographs and from the results of over 30 years of trade directory and census research.

Extensive information is available on many thousands of

• Photographers from the Victorian era, the Edwardian era and later - up to 1940
• their studio addresses and dates of operation
• their customers (the sitters who posed for them)

The information, much of it unique, is taken from original cartes de visite and cabinet cards in the Victorian Image Collection and from trade directories collected over the last 30 years. Data from other sources such as the UK census is also included on the site.

This site is currently being upgraded. At present, we are able to offer:

• names and addresses of tens of thousands of photographers
• pictures of over 5,000 NAMED sitters who could be YOUR ancestors. The original carte de visite are often available for sale - if not, scanned copies can be supplied
• census and other internet based research into photographers of the past -vital information for family historians with a photographer in the family tree

Shortly we will also be offering:

• a guide to the different types of Victorian photograph and the dates that they were commonly available
• free web pages to descendants of Victorian and Edwardian photographers to display biographical information about their ancestors and hopefully to help make contacts with other long lost family members
• an automated dating wizard so that you can date your own carte de visite or cabinet card on line
• automated lists of photographer’s names, addresses and, where available, dates that they advertised their studios
• help with research projects related to Victorian photography and photographers including scanned images for display or publication
• lists of Victorian and Edwardian and later photographers from specific towns - in booklet form
• many original carte de visite and cabinet cards for sale to collectors

We have masses of information BUT - we always need more.

Research thrives on data, and lots of it.

We are always looking for:

• original Victorian or Edwardian photographs – portraits or views
• dated photographs - 1840 to 1940
• date information from trade directories or similar publications
• ephemera such as letters, billheads, advertisements etc.
• photographs of photographers, their studios or their families
• biographical notes about photographers – especially from their descendants.

We are also interested in all of the above relating to Australia or New Zealand as well. Many Victorian photographers emigrated to the Antipodes and a few even came back again.

If you have anything to dispose of please contact us.

We have a number of publications and other items for sale as well as some which are free. They are:

• FREE downloads of articles that have previously been published
• FREE e-Newsletters
• Victorian photographs in various lots which are surplus to our archive.

We are currently working on a series of booklets of lists of photographers related to specific towns or areas. These will be compiled and published over a period of time with the first one planned in time for Christmas 2008!

We are also planning to offer a range of relevant books produced by other publishers.

Unfortunately many old family photographs are not annotated with the sitter’s name.

However, an accurate date does help to pinpoint who the subject/s of the photograph might be.

Knowing when a photograph was taken, where it was taken – together with the details of the image itself – often make it possible to decide who the sitter really is. Often it can confirm it is who you think it is. Sometimes it can even confirm that it is NOT who you think it is!

Dating an old photograph is like a detective game. There can be so many clues which, when all taken together, can give you a very accurate result.

Depending on the type of photograph, the sorts of clues that may be available include:

• photographer’s name
• photographer’s address/s
• hairstyles
• clothes and fashion accessories
• studio props
• card mount – shape and size
• card design – including graphic artwork, typography, font size and colour
• card manufacturer and printer
• photographic process
• patrons
• medals awarded

To date your family photograph/s from 1840 – 1940, try the following approach:

1. get an approximate idea by looking at the different types of photograph produced and when they were available
2. if it has a photographer’s name and address on it, go to our list of photographers to see if we have any trade directory information. If so, find out when the photographer advertised as being active at that address
3. if it is a carte de visite or a cabinet card and the trade directory information is not precise enough for you, use our unique dating wizard – coming SOON only on this website
4. OR - if you prefer – go to our Custom Dating page and ask for our personal estimate of the date of your photograph.

You can, of course, try one step at a time or go straight to steps 2, 3 or 4 as appropriate.

We have details of studios in all cities, most towns and many villages throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

To find out if we have information on photographic studios in the particular city, town or village that you are interested in - visit Studios.

If you need details of only a few studios, or should you need a larger amount of data such as a list of all of the studios in a particular area, please Contact Us.

Soon you will be able to enquire directly on-line.

Also Town Lists will be produced in booklet form shortly.

Many questions are often asked of us so we thought it would be a good idea to write an answer for everyone to refer to. Through time this will become a large, authoritative resource. Do check it out at FAQ.

It is such a shame that people down the years have disposed of family albums without a thought as to who might treasure them in the future.

The prime purpose of this aspect of the archive is to preserve information for family historians and to re-unite families with photos.

We have many thousands of Victorian photographs which indicate the name of the person or persons who have been photographed.

These people, the sitters, are mainly everyday folk although a few with titles are included.

Most photographs of sitters are available for sale to the families that want them.

Cards that are integral to the archive itself cannot be released but high quality scans can be supplied.