My thanks to those who've responded to my blogpost-a-day throughout September on a cache of recently discovered amateur stereos by James Edward Ellam (1857-1920). Link here They date from the 1890s when James was refining his stereoscopic technique before working for Underwood & Underwood of London. Here are a few highlights from week 1.
1. "On The Look Out, Runswick Bay."
2. "West Window, Whitby Abbey 1893."
"Bracklinn Falls, Callander."
If you have Ellam stereos in your collection, I would be very interested to hear from you.
I'm trying to establish whether these stereocards and others bearing a "J. E. Ellam" credit on the verso exist as duplicates, perhaps suggesting that they were sold commercially.
Comments
thanks - such a fast response! Guess I ought to track down at least some of the West London Photographic Society exhibit catalogs. I haven't stumbled on any of them for collating purposes. Wonder if some or all have been digitized as have the long RPS series. If equal interest is the Underwood & Underwood affiliation. I worked at Eastman House in Rochester, NY for 30 years and oversaw the accessioning of 1000s of Underwood and other stereo collections there. Don't recall those large publishers - I think Keystone at some point took over U&U's negatives and kept going into the 1950s (that collection now at Riverside, CA). I'll look at your "view here" and get back.
I show Ellam as one of the 275 photographers exhibited in the 1909 RPS Annual
Fifty-Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain
but only that ONE exhibit. Do you know of other exhibits he participated in. This is from photographydatabase.org which I edit. Interesting, thanks. I know of NO public collections having examples of his work. Will check V&A
HI Andrew
Yes, as you point out, James participated in the 1909 RPS exhibition as a member of the United Stereoscopic Society. It was founded by Albert J. Snow in 1904 and was still active in the mid-1950s.
In February 1908, according to a report in the West London Observer, James took part in the 19th annual exhibition of the West London Photographic Society. It reported: "A Sea of Steps, a much photographed scene in Wells Cathedral, is a most praiseworthy print by Mr. J. E. Ellam."
My blog has more about James's career including his credited stereos for Underwood & Underwood in the National Portrait Gallery, London. View here