Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history
Whilst researching a lady named Nancy Garrs, for Undercliffe Cemetery, I came across a newspaper article dated 1877 saying that Nancy had on her wall at home a photograph of Miss Brontë on glass. It goes on to compare this with the portrait in Elizabeth Gaskell's book. So we can be pretty sure it was referring to Charlotte.
Nancy Garrs was employed by Patrick Brontë to be Charlotte Brontë s nurse and worked for eight years for the Brontë family at Thornton and Haworth. Later she was given gifts by Patrick, Charlotte and Emily. These were her Bronte relics.
In her 80s she became a widow and didn't have enough money to support herself. She was taken in at the Bradford workhouse and although she didn't want to part with the relics she had to.
It seems that Nancy's nephew, a chap named Widdop took ownership of some, if not all of the relics. When Widdop put a photograph of Charlotte on display in 1885 it was described as follows.
"These include an excellent photograph of Miss Charlotte Brontë taken in around 1855, taken apparently when that distinguished novelist was some 25 or 30 years of age"
My question is; with the photograph being described as a photograph on glass would that make it an Ambrotype or is there any other type of photograph that would be given that description in 1877 ?
Thanks
Steve Lightfoot
Tags:
Hi Steve- the description (1877) is inept; the chubby, contented, post-menopausal person in profile is Charlotte's self-proclaimed 'best friend' Nell Nussey. I can vouch for the 'caped' group photo (c. Nov '42-Jan '43) and 2 pics of Charlotte recently found, from about time of marriage Spring 1855 I think published/discussed on this site. v. best, James
Thats really interesting ,I would assume if she knew the Brontes personally she would know it was Charlotte ,it might be useful to post on a Bronte FB page or site to ask if anyone knows anything about it
Hi Lynn
The Bronte museum have some of Nancy's relics but not the photograph.
Steve
Lynn Cunliffe said:
Thats really interesting ,I would assume if she knew the Brontes personally she would know it was Charlotte ,it might be useful to post on a Bronte FB page or site to ask if anyone knows anything about it
Do you use Fb ? I think a lot of people on Bronte pages would be really interested
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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