Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history
John Toohey's Discussions
The English Studio, operating in Baku Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 20th century.
Does anybody have any…Continue
Started Dec 4, 2011
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John Toohey replied to Gavin Maitland's discussion Seaside Tintypes:"Thanks for that Paul. It sounds like it's exactly what I'm after so I'll keep an eye out/
John
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Paul Godfrey left a comment for John Toohey"John,
The Magic Box is certainly worth reading. It's about 150 pages in length and published in 1954. There is very little about the technical aspects of ferrotype photography but it does give a good account of how Pendrigh earned his living…"
John Toohey replied to Gavin Maitland's discussion Seaside Tintypes:"Hi Paul
What's this book like? I've seen a few copies going for $35. There aren't that many books or even accounts by itinerant photographers but at that price I don't want to snatch it up straight away.
John "
John Toohey commented on Marcel Safier's group Carte de Visite"Maybe not a lead but a possibility. These come from Baku, C1910, when Azerbaijan was the largest oil producer in the world and quite a few Europeans (including Alfred Nobel) worked there. English photographers working in Moscow might go to Baku…"
John Toohey replied to Gavin Maitland's discussion Seaside Tintypes:"
Hi, I'm guessing this was taken at a seaside, either Australian (where it was bought) or most likely somewhere in the UK.
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John Toohey replied to Roland Belgrave's discussion Kurdish Photos"I have many postcards from Turkey in the 1920s and 30s including a few that may be Kurdish. Look at my blog, especially these…"
John Toohey commented on Marcel Safier's group Carte de Visite"As a general rule Kevin, only Turkish women from the nobility were photographed in the 1860s. She could very well be an Armenian or Greek Christian or even a foreigner dressed in Turkish costume. I notice the Maltese photo says "Maltese…"
John Toohey commented on Marcel Safier's group Carte de Visite"And a Maltese woman C 1860. No idea who the photographer was although on the other side is a portrait of a Turkish woman."
John Toohey commented on Marcel Safier's group Carte de Visite"Here's one by a J Plessix from Lisbon. I know nothing about him or her."
John Toohey commented on George L Mutter's blog post 1860s Unknown "Canary" Photographer in Egypt"It doesn't have to be an English photographer. Copyright was a loose term back then. I have one photo of a Tunisian musician bearing the stamp of the Zangaki brothers but I have seen a near identical image with another photographer's…"
John Toohey replied to Noelle Sullivan's discussion J. Kuhn Albumen prints, Paris"
Hi, here's a link to some of his work with a bit of background information. I have a couple of postcard portraits of his so he was probably still in business around 1905.
http://www.newpicaday.com/2010_04_01_archive.html"
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- At 15:54 on March 12, 2013, Paul Godfrey said…
- John,
The Magic Box is certainly worth reading. It's about 150 pages in length and published in 1954. There is very little about the technical aspects of ferrotype photography but it does give a good account of how Pendrigh earned his living on the streets in his own words. In 1954 the sums of money he made were huge but today these amounts do not seem at all large. He talks about earning £97 in one day as if it's a fortune. He mentions a famous Old Bailey case of the 1950s where a beach photographer had made £47,000 in six years but omitted to pay income tax. Today this seems a small sum for six years work.
The story is mainly about his methods of earning a living. Discovering the Aptus ferrotype camera and trading illegally on the streets of south coast seaside towns. Being moved on by the police etc. to becoming a licensed photographer in Trafalgar Square. He also was a photographer at the 1951 Festival of Britain taking photographs of people on donkeys, but not using ferrotype methods by then.
I bought my copy of the book on a recommendation from an email corespondent through Amazon but I see today that there is one copy for sale at a pretty high price. I did not buy my copy for anything like this amount. There appears to have been one for sale on Ebay earlier this year that did not sell So keep your eye out for a copy at a reasonable price. One is bound to turn up.
Best wishes
Paul.
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