William CLARK Southport Photographer

[lizone]

I have a rather fine photograph which I am trying to date - I think it's either my great great grandmother but more likely to be the older sister of my great grandmother. The photo is labled 'William Clark, 15 Nevill Street, Southport. Permanent Photograph Patent Chromotype'. The fashion of the garments suggests mid to late 1880s to me (high collar and quite modest), and I understand that the Chromotype process was first used around 1874. From what I have read, the process didn't catch on as this type of photograph was relatively expensive - but, luckily for me, the picture has hardly faded. I have been unable to find Clark in census/trade directories etc, but I was hoping someone may be able to help me out.

Thanks

Liz

[malcolm99]

I've had no luck finding him anywhere but I see the V & A have a photograph by him that they date as 1883:
https://www.
vandaimages.com/results.asp?image=1000LM0276-01

There are a couple of references to him in The National Archives and they give his address as 16 Nevill Street - but that's not much help either.

[malcolm99]

I forgot to mention that there is an interesting description in the National Archives about "Benjamin Wyles & Co., Victoria Studio, Nevill Street, Southport." It's just possible that William Clark operated out of this address - see 'Contents' on this page:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a...1119&cid=-1#-1

[lizone]

Malcolm

Thank you for looking. Yes, I had seen those references, but looking at them again, perhaps the photo is slightly earlier than I thought and may be the late 1870s/early 1880s. I wonder if the Clark studio was rather short-lived?

Liz

[Coromandel]

After discovering that Southport was in the parish of North Meols, I came across in this 1881 census:

2 Shakespeare Street, North Meols, Lancs
William Clarke, head, 35, photographer, b. Preston Lancs
Gesana Clarke, wife, 28, b. Oldham Lancs
Charles W. Clarke, son, 3, b. Southport Lancs
Mary Clarke, dau, 2, b. Southport Lancs
Thomas L. Clarke, son, 1, b. Southport
Isabella Davis, visitor, wid., 48, nurse, b. Scotland

RG 11/3751, f.82, p.14. Census returns Crown copyright, in care of The National Archives

His wife's unusual name may help in tracking the family in later censuses.

From FreeBMD it looks as if William Clark married Gesana Lees in the Runcorn district Q2 1876. Cheshire BMDs confirms that they married one another, and gives the name of the church: Norley St John.

[Coromandel]

FamilySearch has baptisms for these two children of William and Gesana Clark(e):

- Charles W. Clarke, 3 Aug 1885, St Mary's, Walton on the Hill, Lancs
- Robert Speakman Clark, 30 Dec 1889, St Peter's, Liverpool

So they appear to have moved away from Southport by 1885.

[malcolm99]

After discovering that Southport was in the parish of North Meols, I came across in this 1881 census:

2 Shakespeare Street, North Meols, Lancs
William Clarke, head, 35, photographer, b. Preston Lancs
.

...and Charles Holden, 23, photographer is living at 4 Bradley Street, North Meols RG11/3748 fol. 123 p. 20.
Lo and behold at 5 Bradley Street is a William Holden and family.

Now from the TNA we know that William Clark and Charles Holden collaborated on a photograph of “Dog sitting by fence” and that Clark took an Oval portrait of William Holden,see: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a...1192&cid=-1#-1 ) and so that seems some sort of proof that they were working together around 1881.

I’m not sure this moves things on very much, but I thought it was interesting.

(Record in care of TNA: Crown copyright)