Do you know of any Victorian daylight studios still existing in a recognisable form?

[PetworthPenthouse]

Of the many thousands (I believe that is no exaggeration?) of photographic studios that were established in the UK in the Victorian era, how many have survived to this day in a recognisable form?

As the owner of one such studio, I have been researching this topic, and to my surprise have so far found only about a dozen. The latest updated list can be seen here:

https://www.petworthpenthouse.com/surviving-victorian-photographic-...

Surely there must be more? I'd love to hear from anyone who knows of one.

Also I'd be grateful if anyone could suggest a more accurate figure on how many studios actually were established in the UK in the C19th.

Richard

[Tony Richards]

Hi Richard,
Excellent project, there's a Facebook group called The Old Photo Studio Hunt that has some info.
There's one on Lake Road, Windermere. Now a Chinese restaurant. If I could figure out how to attach a pic via my phone I would. Have a look for Golden Fortune on Google Maps.

Tony

[Michael Pritchard]

Hi, Tony. Here's the Golden Fortune from Google Street View...

[María de los Santos García Felgu]

Congratulations!

I'm also interested in old photographic galleries and just published a book about:

Cabañas de cristal: galerías de retrato y estudios de fotografía en España, Santa Cruz de la Palma, 2020.

252 pages, 75 black and white illustrations and 28 in color.

My point is Spain, but I give examples from different places (Europe, India, USA...).

We'll be able to have a catalogue.

Good luck!

[Nicholas John Burnett]

Hello Richard,

When I worked at the British Museum in the 1980s Roger Fenton's old studio was still there.  It was being used by a designer but I understand there were one or two stands still present (I didn't get to see it but my boss did).  No idea of its current condition.

Nicholas

[Marcel Safier]

Hi Tony, I've looked and can't find that Facebook group or anything of a similar name. Could you please provide a link? Cheers! Marcel

Tony Richards said:

Hi Richard,
Excellent project, there's a Facebook group called The Old Photo Studio Hunt that has some info.
There's one on Lake Road, Windermere. Now a Chinese restaurant. If I could figure out how to attach a pic via my phone I would. Have a look for Golden Fortune on Google Maps.

Tony

[PetworthPenthouse]

Thank you.

The British Museum blog shows a photo of Fenton's studio in the 1980s, and then says "The studio was continuously used by photographers until the 1960s when it became a graphic art studio, and was demolished in the 1990s."

If that's what our leading museum does, what hope do we have?

Nicholas John Burnett said:

Hello Richard,

When I worked at the British Museum in the 1980s Roger Fenton's old studio was still there.  It was being used by a designer but I understand there were one or two stands still present (I didn't get to see it but my boss did).  No idea of its current condition.

Nicholas

[PetworthPenthouse]

That's very good to hear you have been working on a similar project.

So how many Victorian daylight studios do you think have survived in a recognisable form in Spain?

How can one buy your book?

Richard

María de los Santos García Felgu said:

Congratulations!

I'm also interested in old photographic galleries and just published a book about:

Cabañas de cristal: galerías de retrato y estudios de fotografía en España, Santa Cruz de la Palma, 2020.

252 pages, 75 black and white illustrations and 28 in color.

My point is Spain, but I give examples from different places (Europe, India, USA...).

We'll be able to have a catalogue.

Good luck!

[Nicholas John Burnett]

Very sorry to read that.  I left the museum in late 1986.  Presumably it was demolished as part of the Great Court Scheme.

PetworthPenthouse said:

Thank you.

The British Museum blog shows a photo of Fenton's studio in the 1980s, and then says "The studio was continuously used by photographers until the 1960s when it became a graphic art studio, and was demolished in the 1990s."

If that's what our leading museum does, what hope do we have?

Nicholas John Burnett said:

Hello Richard,

When I worked at the British Museum in the 1980s Roger Fenton's old studio was still there.  It was being used by a designer but I understand there were one or two stands still present (I didn't get to see it but my boss did).  No idea of its current condition.

Nicholas

[PetworthPenthouse]

Ah, so is that where the studio was? I have to say I love the modern Great Court, so I would cut them a bit of slack. 

Nicholas John Burnett said:

Very sorry to read that.  I left the museum in late 1986.  Presumably it was demolished as part of the Great Court Scheme.

[Tony Richards]

Hi,

The group is called Old Photographic Studio Hunt on Facebook.

Marcel Safier said:

Hi Tony, I've looked and can't find that Facebook group or anything of a similar name. Could you please provide a link? Cheers! Marcel

Tony Richards said:

Hi Richard,
Excellent project, there's a Facebook group called The Old Photo Studio Hunt that has some info.
There's one on Lake Road, Windermere. Now a Chinese restaurant. If I could figure out how to attach a pic via my phone I would. Have a look for Golden Fortune on Google Maps.

Tony

[María de los Santos García Felgu]

Thanks a lot for your interest. 

In Spain we have some recognisable daylight studios: two of them still active (both of them in Barcelona, from around 1915-1920), some of them closed (two in Cordoba, as court galleries, from the first years of XXth. century), a big glass gallery (now an apartment) in Madrid.   

The book is sold in the Museo Insular de La Palma (Santa Cruz de la Palma),  [e-mail]

María de los Santos 

PetworthPenthouse said:

That's very good to hear you have been working on a similar project.

So how many Victorian daylight studios do you think have survived in a recognisable form in Spain?

How can one buy your book?

Richard

María de los Santos García Felgu said:

Congratulations!

I'm also interested in old photographic galleries and just published a book about:

Cabañas de cristal: galerías de retrato y estudios de fotografía en España, Santa Cruz de la Palma, 2020.

252 pages, 75 black and white illustrations and 28 in color.

My point is Spain, but I give examples from different places (Europe, India, USA...).

We'll be able to have a catalogue.

Good luck!

[PetworthPenthouse]

Thanks Maria, that's interesting.

It would be good to add a pin for each of those studios to this map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1DfRaF4bdu_DvoViLTTw1jQ2h_cz...

(There is a plan to make a different coloured pins for "recognisable", and "disappeared", studios, but I will leave that to the Admin of the Facebook group "Old photographic studio hunt", who has set this map up.)

Meanwhile, I am going to limit my researches to studios in the UK.

Richard

https://www.petworthpenthouse.com/surviving-victorian-photographic-...

María de los Santos García Felgu said:

Thanks a lot for your interest. 

In Spain we have some recognisable daylight studios: two of them still active (both of them in Barcelona, from around 1915-1920), some of them closed (two in Cordoba, as court galleries, from the first years of XXth. century), a big glass gallery (now an apartment) in Madrid.   

The book is sold in the Museo Insular de La Palma (Santa Cruz de la Palma),  [e-mail]