Joseph Lowe 1865 – 1934
Photographic Business
Joseph was a photographer in the English Lake District between about 1891 and 1929, and maybe a little later. As well as having a studio at Grisdale Bridge, Patterdale in Westmoreland he travelled all over the Lake District taking topographical photographs and he published them as postcards.
Census
1871 – age 5 at 4 Platt View, Rusholme, Lancashire (scholar) living with his family
1881 – age 15 at 106 Wimslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester (occupation – warehouseman) living with his family
1891 – age 26 at Grisdale Bridge, Patterdale, Westmoreland (occupation – artist and photographer and landscape painter)
1901 – age 36 at Grisdale Bridge, Patterdale, Westmoreland (occupation – landscape photographer)
1911 – age 45 at Deepdale Bridge, Deepdale, Westmoreland (occupation – landscape photographer).
Joseph Lowe was born in 1865 in Rusholme, Lancashire and in 1871, at the age of 5, he was living in Rusholme with his father and mother and six brothers and sisters at 4 Platt View. He was recorded as a scholar.
By 1881, at 15, he was working as a warehouseman and he was still living at home with his family at 106 Wimslow Road, Rusholme. His father Thomas was a baker.
In 1891, at the age of 26, Joseph Lowe was living at Grisdale Bridge, Patterdale in the English Lake District. A delightful picture of Patterdale is shown below.
(from http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,256347.0.html)
The 1891 census lists him as an artist and photographer and landscape painter. He had not started to advertise a studio at that time so maybe he worked from home and travelled around taking pictures of the countryside and quite possibly visiting people at their homes to take their portraits.
In 1901, Joseph, still a single man, was still living at Grisdale Bridge, Patterdale and is listed in the census as a landscape photographer. By this time Joseph will have been taking pictures of the local countryside and selling them to the public.
In 1905, when he was 40, Joseph married Jessie Grisdale in Patterdale and they set up home at Yew Tree Cottage in Patterdale. Jessie’s father Robert Grisdale was the farm bailiff on Hall Farm in Patterdale.
It was probably around this time that Joseph started to produce his landscapes in postcard format for sale to the public as picture postcards were becoming very popular.
In the census in1911, Joseph was still at Deepdale Bridge and was still listed as a landscape photographer.
As well as being a prolific photographer, Joseph also took an active interest in the village activities and was involved in some role or another in athletics, cricket, football and rifle shooting.
It was not until 1925, when he was 60 years old, that Joseph advertised his studio in trade directories. His studio was at his home in Yew Tree Cottage at Deepdale Bridge. Maybe his travelling activities had diminished by that stage in his life.
Because of his extensive knowledge Joseph gave lectures and talks about the Lake District.
He continued to advertise until 1929 but may well have continued with his studio for a few years after that as his obituary says that he died only after a short illness of about a month.
Joseph Lowe died in 1934 and is buried in Patterdale churchyard.
His wife Jessie continued to make and sell postcards after her husband’s death.
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Family
Father – Thomas Lowe born 17 May 1815, Wybunbury, Cheshire, died 3 March 1892, Rusholme, Lancashire.
Mother – Mary Cottrell born 1828, died 16 June 1901
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Joseph
Born – 8 August 1865 in Rusholme, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Baptized
Married – 1905 to Jessie Grisdale (born 1876, Watermillock, Cumberland) in West Ward district, Westmoreland
Child 1 – Geoffrey Lowe born 1909, Patterdale, Westmoreland
Died – 2 February 1934 and is buried in Patterdale churchyard
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Compiled by Ron Cosens © www.cartedevisite.co.uk
Sources
- Liz Hodgson, lizziehodgson@btinternet.com , family historian, who provided the information for the life story above
- http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?22721-Lowe-family-Salford provides some history of the Lowe family
- Sandy Barrie for trade directory information
- Marcel Safier for additional research
- Ron Cosens for images from the Victorian Image Collection
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Joseph Lowe – Gallery
Examples of Joseph’s photography are shown below.
Further examples are welcome. If you can help, please Contact Us.