Cambridgeshire Photographers

Name: EASTERN PRESS AGENCY
Address: 1933 at 7- 8 Castle Street, Cambridge, in 1939/40 their directory entry refers to "Head Office 1 Benet Street, Branch Office 7 and 8 Castle Street". 1948 entries only list the Benet St Cambridge address.
Working Dates: 1933-57
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: A press agency, producing images primarily for use by the press - for example in 1939 the Cambridge Independent Press newspaper carried a number of wedding photographs by the agency to illustrate wedding announcements. The 1948 and 1957 Spaldings Directory entries refers to "FGA Butcher propr. (news feature, wedding and commercial photography) 1 Benet Street, Tel 3321". The proprietor was Francis George Acheson Butcher b: 4/5/1901 d: 1973, photographer and journalist, assisted by his wife Marjorie Edna Butcher b: 24 July 1909 d:2000. Eastern Press Agency photographs appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Cambridge Independent Press and the Bury Free Press. The first example below is from WW2 period - a member of the Home Guard in hand-to-hand combat with a uniformed enemy - black and white unmounted print 8 x 6.25 ins. The reverse is stamped with a rubber stamp "Eastern Press Agency Number one Bene't Street Phone Cambridge 3321 Copyright Photograph". Below this is an example of their wedding photography, a 6in x 4in black and white print in a cream mount with no photographer's details on the face, but the same rubber stamp on the reverse, plus a hand-written negative No 1296-7, depicting a man in a rather plain uniform with Sgt's stripes and his bride, probably from 1939-45. (both from the author's collection)
References: Mike Petty, The Photographers, (a handlist of local photographers), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Collection, 1992
Spaldings Directory of Cambridge 1933-1957. 1939 Register.

Home Guard - Eastern Press Agency Back-stamp Eastern Press Agency

Reverse of mount for wedding photo, Eastern Press Agency Wedding photograph by Eastern Press Agency

Name: EASTMID STUDIOS PETERBOROUGH, EASTMID'S STUDIO, EASTMID & Co, EASTMID & Co Ltd, EASTMID PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
Address: 5a Market Place, Peterborough
Working Dates: 1898-1906 (probably no later than Dec 1903 - later dates being in directories taking some time to produce)
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: This studio appears in local trade directories at the Market Place, Peterborough, between 1898 and 1906. By 1901 the studio was in the possession of Peterborough photographer Harry Marriott who submitted to Stationers' Hall a photograph of 'Triennial Festival', in the Nave of Peterborough Cathedral: copyright owner of work: Henry (sic) Marriott, 2 Elmwood Villas, London Road, Peterborough. Copyright author of work: Harry Marriott, Eastmid Studios, Peterborough, Form Completed 1 July 1901. (TNA COPY 1/451/230). At some point, this business took over Harry Marriott's Cathedral Studio Peterborough - see below an over-printed Cathedral Studio carte de visite. However, it may be that Harry Marriott simply changed his trading name and he was also the person behind the Eastmid Studio. By 1903 Harry Marriott was in the process of being adjudged a bankrupt. A report of this in the Bucks Herald - Saturday 19 December 1903 records "Marriott, Harry, trading Eastmid's Studio, 2, Elmwood Villas, London Road, Fletton, and 5a. Market Place, Peterborough, photographer. Dec 9." Around 1905/6 the Eastmid Studio was taken over by Derby photographers Pollard Graham.

But, there is another complication, in that Eastmid studios also operated from a studio at 12 Kelsall Street, Leeds, as can be seen from the cabinet photograph below bearing both the Leeds and Peterborough addresses. (We are most grateful to photo historian Brett Payne for permission to use this image from his personal collection.) The cabinet card shows an unknown young boy with a Little Lord Fauntleroy look, and is difficult to date - but could be from the 1890s. The cabinet card has the Leeds address on the lower left corner of the mount, and the Peterborough address on the right hand side, possibly suggesting that Leeds came before, or was the more important of the two addresses. But the name "Eastmid" hardly applies geographically to Leeds, suggesting perhaps that the Peterborough address came first. 12 Kelsall Street Leeds had been a photographer's studio for a number of years, in the hands of Heslop Woods 1886-1896, then Donald McIver 1900-1 and Parkinson and Roy by 1908. There may have been other occupants in the intervening years. Nothing has been found to connect Harry Marriott with Leeds. So, the initial owner of The Eastmid businesses in Peterborough and Leeds remains unknown at the present time.

Below are two cartes de visite (one vignette style head and shoulders, facing ahead, the other torso to head) no printing on the rear, “Eastmid Studios Peterborough” on face beneath the image, one has the rear dated in manuscript "March 1898". Below these is a cabinet photograph from Eastmid Studios of the same period. In manuscript on the reverse is the name of the young cyclist - "Wootton" - and a negative number "3323". This is a studio portrait made to look like the outdoors. The photographer has touched up the negative in the bottom right hand corner, adding in extra shadow to cover the edge of the studio carpet!

Below this is another portrait, a carte de visite, on cream mount with incised border line and stippled border, and printed on the face is "EastMid & Co Photographers, Peterborough". The reverse of the mount is blank - in manuscript is added the name of the sitter, "Phillis Dacy" (or Dary or Daly - the third letter is indistinct). The high lace collar and leg of mutton sleeves suggest this could be from around 1895-1900.

References: Northampton and District Trades Directory, Town and County Directories Ltd Edinburgh, 1905/6
Kelly's Directory of Northamptonshire 1903
Cook's Peterborough Directory 1898
London Gazette 8 January 1904 Page: 221 (first meeting of creditors - for Harry Marriott trading as Eastmid's studio.)
London Gazette 9 December 1904 Page:8510 (Harry Marriott paying dividend of around 11d in the pound)
Leeds and Bradford Photographic Studios 1840-1910 for information on 12 Kelsall St Leeds.

Harry Marriott carte de visite over-stamped Eastmid studios

Two cartes de visite from Eastmid Studio Peterborough

Cabinet photograph by Eastmid Studio

Eastmid & Co carte de visite

Eastmid cabinet photograph with Leeds and Peterborough studio addresses.

Name: EAST MIDLAND PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES
Address: 133 Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough
Working Dates: 1974-1980
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: industrial and commercial photographers
References: Peterborough Yellow Pages 1974, 1977, 1980

Name: EATON, Roy H. b:1885 d:
Address: Basing House, Quayside, Cambridge
Working Dates: c.1939
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: In the 1939 Register Roy is listed as a photographer and lodging house keeper (landlord). Also present at the same address was Alice E Eaton b: 1895, plus seven civil servants and a retired district nurse.
References: 1939 Register.

Name: EATON, T.H. b: d:
Address: 62 High Street, Longstanton
Working Dates: 1995 - 2000
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: weddings, portraits, christenings, social events
References: Cambridge Yellow Pages 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000

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Photographers are listed alphabetically by surname on the following pages.

www.FadingImages.uk is a non-commercial web site for local and family historians, listing photographers in Cambridgeshire 1840-2000
This page was last modified: 30 August 2021, 17:53

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