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After the US entered World War I, at least some commercial photographers donated used glass plate negatives for use in gas masks and aviation goggles. Did this also occur in England? Is there a contemporary source?
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Dear Barbara, from my research of the family of John Burton & Sons of Leicester and Nottingham etc. established around 1861, it was sad to discover how few glass plates of this fairly prolific company had survived over several generations. In particular, because their rare large format prints of images from the 1870 on were of a high quality and historically valuable, it was depressing to not find any cache of their negatives. Their company continued under the youngest sons up until at least WWII, but I could find no trace of their negatives. My interest, as a New Zealand photo historian came about due to my now 50 years study of the work of Alfred H Burton and his younger brother, Walter James Burton, who worked in Dunedin, NZ from arond 1868-1898 when Alfred retired. It seems most likely, for whatever reason, that their English negatives would have been recycled. Sorry I have no proof of their demise - and - now living in China my primary research notes are in storage in Auckland. Quite a lot has been written about the NZ Burton Bros but little about the English business. you might like to try my small portfolio of the NZ work at www.photoforum-nz.org.
Wishing you all the best with your research.
Kind Regards, John Turner
Thank you very much for your response. It is hard to determine why glass plate negatives are missing (fragility or war-time policy). The ability of portrait studios to maintain negatives and reproduce from them was a major selling point, especially for firms focusing on actors.
I will make sure that I check out your web site,
regards from NY,
Barbara Stratyner
John B Turner said:
Dear Barbara, from my research of the family of John Burton & Sons of Leicester and Nottingham etc. established around 1861, it was sad to discover how few glass plates of this fairly prolific company had survived over several generations. In particular, because their rare large format prints of images from the 1870 on were of a high quality and historically valuable, it was depressing to not find any cache of their negatives. Their company continued under the youngest sons up until at least WWII, but I could find no trace of their negatives. My interest, as a New Zealand photo historian came about due to my now 50 years study of the work of Alfred H Burton and his younger brother, Walter James Burton, who worked in Dunedin, NZ from arond 1868-1898 when Alfred retired. It seems most likely, for whatever reason, that their English negatives would have been recycled. Sorry I have no proof of their demise - and - now living in China my primary research notes are in storage in Auckland. Quite a lot has been written about the NZ Burton Bros but little about the English business. you might like to try my small portfolio of the NZ work at www.photoforum-nz.org.
Wishing you all the best with your research.
Kind Regards, John Turner
Thanks, and good luck. I'll try to find something more definite, one way or another,
John
Victoria and Albert Museum's photography collection
National Science and Media Museum
RPS Journal 1853-2012 online and searchable
Photographic History Research Centre, Leicester
Birkbeck History and Theory of Photography Research Centre
William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné
British Photography. The Hyman Collection
The Press Photo History Project Mapping the photo agencies and photographers of Fleet Street and the UK
The correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot
Historic England Archive
UAL Photography and Photography and the Archive Research Centre
Royal Photographic Society's Historical Group
www.londonstereo.com London Stereoscopic Company / T. R. Williams
www.earlyphotography.co.uk British camera makers and companies
Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock.
National Portrait Gallery, London
http://www.freewebs.com/jb3d/
Alfred Seaman and the Photographic Convention
Frederick Scott Archer
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