Old Photographs - Cambridgeshire Photographers - Ra-Rd

Photographers are listed alphabetically by surname on the following pages.

0 - 9 | Aa-Ak | Al-Ao | Ap-As | At-Az | Ba-Bak | Bal-Bam | Ban-Bd | Be-Bh | Bi-Bk | Bl-Bn | Bo-Bp | Br-Bt | Bu-Bz | Ca-Ck | Cl-Cn | Coa-Cor | Cos-Cz | Da-Dh | Di-Dq | Dr-Dz | Ea-Ec | Ed-Ez | Fa-Fh | Fi-Fz | Ga-Gd | Ge-Gq | Gr-Gz | Ha-Hd | He-Hh | Hi-Hn | Ho-Hz | I | Ja-Je | Jf-Jz | K | La-Ld | Le-Ln | Lo-Lz | Maa-Mad | Mae-Mar | Mas-Mb | Mc-Mi | Mj-Mz | Na-Nh | Ni-Nn | No-Nz | O | Pa-Pb | Pc-Ph | Pi-Po | Pr-Pz | Q | Ra-Rd | Re-Rh | Ri-Rz | Sa-Sb | Sc-Sf | Sg-Sk | Sla-Slz | Sma-Ss | Sta-Std | Ste-Sth | Sti-Sy | Ta-Te | Tf-Ti | Tj-Tz | U | V | Wa-We | Wf-Wh | Wi-Wz | XYZ

Name:  RAMSEY AND MUSPRATT, later RAMSEY AND MUSPRATT LTD
Address: Briefly 20 St Andrews Street Cambridge 1932-4 then in 1934 moved to Post Office Terrace, incorporating the business of J Palmer Clarke. See also our entry for PAL Brunney
Working Dates: 1932 - 80
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: Lettice Ramsey Née Baker, 1898 -1985, a graduate of Newnham College Cambridge married Cambridge mathematician and philosopher, Frank Ramsey in 1926. Frank died in 1930 and Lettice looked for a new way to support herself and her two young daughters. In 1932 she set up in the photographic business with Helen Muspratt, a Dorset photographer who had trained at Regent Street Polytechnic in London. Lettice had the Cambridge contacts to get the firm work while Helen had the photographic skills and experience. In 1937 Helen Muspratt moved to Oxford and set up a second studio for the firm there. While the partnership continued, Helen ran the Oxford Studio and Lettice the Cambridge one. In the 1939 Register Lettice was listed as a photographer and widow, living at 4 Mortimer Road, Cambridge. Living at this address as lodgers were a university law lecturer and a research student, plus a domestic servant.

One of the firm's long term employees from 1936 to 1958, and a Director after WW2, was Philip Alexander Lake Brunney. PAL Brunney's son, John, recalls that there were other employees at Ramsey and Muspratt over the years. Lettice was one of those people who "collected" interesting people around her and all of her staff were "real characters". After the war there were photo spotters and re-touchers Connie, (From Greece?), Eileen (later a photographer with the firm) and Greeta (a German Jewish refugee?) and by the mid 1960s there were three ladies working there as photographers: Eileen, Elizabeth and Jill, the surnames all not known by John. We have been helped here by Sandy McPhoenix who says that Connie was her husbands grandmother, Constance Goldschmidt (nee Harlow 1895-1964), who came to Cambridge to escape from Nazi Germany in 1935 and lived in Victoria Road with her daughter Evie. Her co-worker Greeta was Grete Zobel (1913-2005).

Nicholas Lee took over the business in 1978 when Lettice retired. In 1980 the Cambridge Yellow Pages listed "Nicholas Lee of Ramsey and Muspratt". The business was then purchased by Peter Lofts in 1980. There is an extensive indexed negative collection from the firm in the Cambridgeshire Collection, deposited by Peter Lofts after he bought up the business. Cambridge Yellow Pages continued to list the firm's name from 1980-85, but with the same telephone number as Peter Lofts. The old Post Office Studio building was renovated for other use in 1985.

Ramsey and Muspratt are best known for their portrait work. Their sympathetic, well lit images quickly made the firm fashionable, photographing the up and coming and influential throughout the 1930s, including Anthony Blunt and Virginia Woolf. The firm also undertook a wide range of commercial photography. On 25 Oct 1935 the Cambridge Daily News reported "Ramsey and Muspratt's photographic work will be even more distinctive by the use of the solarization process in certain of their portraits. It produces quite different results from the usual photograph as by chemical means a black line is made to outline the face of the subject giving it the appearance of a drawing. Their other work captures not only the face but the character of the subject." They were very successful where they entered exhibitions, having two photographs accepted in the London Salon of Photography in both 1936 and 1937.

The postcard below, with a close-up section beneath, is from a 1925 glass plate negative by Edward Mott in the Cambridgeshire Collection ( B.And.K25. 3965 - negative MNH 46.8 - reproduced with their permission). The "Dyers" sign on the left hand side of the road in the distance relates to the firm on the ground floor of 20 St Andrews Streeet, the building where Ramsey and Muspratt started their business.

We have transcribed the studio diaries for the firm for 1932, 1933 and 1935. You can download the transcripts and an introduction to the diaries here: RMCompleteV1.pdf

This link will take you to more on the firm's first premises at 20 St Andrews Street, Cambridge

Below is a charming portrait of a baby with rattle 14 x 10.5 cm, with backstamp "Ramsey & Muspratt 20 St Andrews Street Cambridge" c.1932, (author's collection). Below this is a portrait of Miss Charmian Goldney WVS, c.1950 (author's collection) photo size 8cm x 11cm on cream mount 6in x 4in. The face of the mount has written in manuscript in pencil "Ramsey & Muspratt Cambridge & Oxford". The rear is stamped with a simple rubber stamp " Ramsey & Muspratt Post Office Terrace, Cambridge" the stamp measures approx 6cm wide. Below this is a portrait of Lettice Ramsey by PAL Brunney c. 1970. Next is a 1950s portrait of an unknown woman - the name "Edith" is written on the reverse in manuscript, a 4.25 x 5.75 inch photo on cream card and tissue mount with "Ramsey & Muspratt Cambridge" in manuscript on the tissue mount.

For more on Post Office Terrace Studio and negatives from the studio www.fadingimages.uk/POT1.asp

References: Mike Petty, The Photographers, (a handlist of local photographers), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Collection, 1992
20 St Andrews Street - Spaldings Directory of Cambridge 1932-34. Moved to Post Office Terrace late in 1933 or early in 1934.  Took over the premises and business of photographers J Palmer Clark, whose last photographer, Charles Goodrich, died in January 1934. From 1934 - 1940 the entries in Spaldings Directory of Cambridge read "Ramsey and Muspratt (incorporating Clarke, J Palmer) Post Office Terrace"
Kellys Directory of Cambridgeshire 1937-75
An Eye on the Past, Cambridge Weekly News, Mike Petty,  10/1/1991, 18/1/1991
Petty MJ, The Cambridge Photographers at Post Office Terrace, Cambridge No 29, Winter 1991-2.
Kelly’s Cambridge Directory 1962, 1964, 1965/66, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975. Nicholas Lee of Ramsey and Muspratt is listed in Cambridge Yellow Pages 1980. Cambridge Yellow Pages 1982, 1984 and 1985 the firm’s name re-appears in Yellow Pages with the same phone number as the entry for its new owner, Peter Lofts.
Jessica Sutcliffe, Face: Shape and Angle, Helen Muspratt Photographer, Manchester University Press, 2016, ISBN -10: 1526100843
Obituaries, personal family photographs and examples of Lettice's work can be found on her grand-son's excellent website www.stephenburch.com/lettice/lettice.htm
A set of examples of portraits by Ramsey and Muspratt can be found in the National Portrait Gallery: www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/set/260/Photographs+by+Ramsey+%26+Muspratt

Portrait of Lettice Ramsey by PAL Brunney, c.1970 (J Brunney family photographs)

Portrait of "Edith" by Ramsey and Muspratt Cambridge

Name: RAMSEY PHOTO SERVICES   b:       d:
Address: 36 Great Whyte Ramsey
Working Dates: 1980 - 1983
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: commercial, industrial and studio photography, 5 minute passport photos
References: Cambridge Yellow Pages 1982, 1983, Peterborough Yellow Pages 1980

RAND. Jeff - see FOOD AND PHOTOGRAPHY CO

Name:  RANDS, William  b: 1839 Ramsey.       d:1861
Address: Whittlesey.
Working Dates: c.1861
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: The Cambridge Independent Press of 18 May 1861 reported the death at Whittlesey on 14th May of William Rands, "photographic artist", son of the late William Rands hairdresser of Ramsey. In the 1861 census William was shown living in Church Street Whittlesey with his step father, mother and two step brothers. His occupation was shown as plumber and glazier, suggesting the photographic artistry was a secondary occupation. Given his untimely death, surviving photographs by Rands are likely to be extremely rare.
References: Cambridge Independent Press 18/5/1861

Name:  RANFT, Paul   b:       d:
Address: 22A Lincoln Road, Peterborough, also at 3 and 4 Wellington Lane, Stamford.
Working Dates: c.1990
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information:
References: Peterborough Yellow Pages 1990

Name:  RAPID PHOTO CO       
Address: 24 Narrow Bridge Street, Peterborough 1914 (later at Princes Street, Peterborough)
Working Dates: c.1914-16
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: Produced real photograph local postcards, and may have had other activities. The example postcard below is a river scene from the River Ouse at St Neots, it is one of a series numbered 3. This was postally used in May 1915. The reverse shows this is one of a "Rapid Series" and the company address is shown as Princes Street, Peterborough. The number in Princes Street on this card is unreadable, but 40 Princes Street Peterborough was the home of John Borrill Etches. Also below is a portrait of an unknown woman 1920s, on brown textured card mount 4.25 x 2.75 inches with Rapid Photo impressed into the mount, reverse blank (author's collection).

See also the entry for Stickybacks photographers in Peterborough. The Rapid Photo Co in Narrow Street Peterborough could have been a stickyback photographer in 1916, or it could be that a sticky back photographer took over the firm's premises in 1916.

It would appear that in 1916 John Borrill Etches had control over the Rapid Photo Co. It is not clear whether this was his company throughout or whether he took over the company in 1916. The Nottingham Journal on Wed 12 October 1921 p2 carried a report "A BREACH OF CONTRACT. Mr Justice McCardie, in the King’s Bench Division yesterday heard an action brought by Miss May Bone, of Market Place Peterborough against Mr. John Barrett (sic) Etches, of Narrow Street, Peterborough. claiming damages for, and an injunction against, breaches of the terms of a covenant to sell the stock-in-trade and connection of the Rapid Photo Co., of Narrow Street, Peterborough to the plaintiff in April 1916. His lordship found a clear breach of contract, and assessed the damages at £150, refusing a stay of execution." So John Borrill Etches clearly had some involvement with the Rapid Photo Co Peterborough in 1916.

There was another more famous Rapid Photo Company, addresses, New Broad Street, London EC, 4-5 Bridgewater Square, London EC and Hampton Hill, who were major publishers of real photograph postcards, specialising in photographs of the stars of stage and music hall as well as topographical subjects and animals, children and greetings, Their trade mark was the word "Rapid" with an arrow throught the word, direction lower left to upper right, with two swallows or swifts flying right to left. This firm's name sometimes appears as "The Rapid Co", "Rapid Photo", "the Rapid Photo co" or "The Rapid Photo Printing Co", all of London EC. Some of their portrait postcards also bear the name of the photographer or studio from which they originated. There are 97 portraits published by this company in the catalogue of the National Portrait Gallery. This company, founded by a Mr. J. Mengel, operated from around 1901. Mengel left the company in 1905 to form The Kingsbury Works, another postcard publishing company in St Albans. The Rapid Photo Printing Co was active in England and Scotland and employed a number of commercial travellers. In 1908 they were advertising a service producing private postcards from your own photograph, suitable for greetings or XMas cards at 7/6d for 50, 10/- for 100. (Era 29 August 1908 p34). By February 1910 (Yorkshire Post 26 Feb 1910 p13) the Rapid Photo Printing Co Ltd was in liquidation, so pre-dates the Rapid Photo Company at Peterborough, but was there any connection between the two or was the use of the word "Rapid" simply a popular choice for the photographic trade of the time? There was also a Rapid Photo Co in Midland Street Hull in 1908 (Hull Daily Mail 6 Oct 1908 p1.)

References: Kelly's Directory of Northamptonshire, a single entry for 1914. No trace has been found of the Rapid Photo Co in The Gazette or in searching Companies House online records.

Name:  RATTLE, Douglas William   b: 1918     d: 2002
Address: 16, Corrie Road Cambridge, Cambridge
Working Dates: c. - 1957
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: Doug Rattle was a photographer/printer employed by Edward Leigh. He trained Frank Bird when Frank joined the firm in 1957, but left shortly afterwards. Frank remembers him as a regular pipe smoker, usually producing clouds of tobacco smoke which emanated from the vents in the darkroom where he worked. Tom Johnson remember Doug started his career with the Cambridge News, later working for Stearn and Sons and for Campkins at their Mill Road Studio
References: Personal recollections of Frank Bird and Tom Johnson.

Name:  RAWLINGS, David  b:       d:
Address: In 1980 no address given – just Peterborough. In 1986, Orchard House, 18 Downham Rd Outwell , Wisbech
Working Dates: c.1980 - 1986
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: commercial, industrial, advertising, architectural, PR, Video, portraits, weddings.
References: Peterborough Yellow Pages 1980, 1986

Name:  RAWLINGS, Wilfred  b: 18/9/1912      d:
Address: 59 Brampton Road, Cambridge
Working Dates: c.1939
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: In the 1939 Register Wilfred Rawlings is listed at the above address and his occupation is shown as "photographer to University". At the same address was Hylda Rawlings b: 6/8/1912.
References: 1939 Register.

Name:   RAYCAD DRAUGHTING AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES  b:       d:
Address:  11 Laceys Lane Exning
Working Dates: c.1995
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information:
References: Cambridge Yellow Pages 1995

Name:   RAYNER M.P.W.  b:       d:
Address: 27 Station Road Willingham
Working Dates: c.1990
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information:
References: Cambridge Yellow Pages 1990

Name:  RAYNER, Thomas           b:       d:
Address: Long Causeway, Peterborough
Working Dates: c. 1862
Subjects, styles, advertising, other relevant information: A single directory entry of 1862 records Thomas Rayner as a photographer. No trace can be found of a photographer with this name in the census returns.
References: Slater's Directory of Northamptonshire 1862

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Photographers are listed alphabetically by surname on the following pages.

0 - 9 | Aa-Ak | Al-Ao | Ap-As | At-Az | Ba-Bak | Bal-Bam | Ban-Bd | Be-Bh | Bi-Bk | Bl-Bn | Bo-Bp | Br-Bt | Bu-Bz | Ca-Ck | Cl-Cn | Coa-Cor | Cos-Cz | Da-Dh | Di-Dq | Dr-Dz | Ea-Ec | Ed-Ez | Fa-Fh | Fi-Fz | Ga-Gd | Ge-Gq | Gr-Gz | Ha-Hd | He-Hh | Hi-Hn | Ho-Hz | I | Ja-Je | Jf-Jz | K | La-Ld | Le-Ln | Lo-Lz | Maa-Mad | Mae-Mar | Mas-Mb | Mc-Mi | Mj-Mz | Na-Nh | Ni-Nn | No-Nz | O | Pa-Pb | Pc-Ph | Pi-Po | Pr-Pz | Q | Ra-Rd | Re-Rh | Ri-Rz | Sa-Sb | Sc-Sf | Sg-Sk | Sla-Slz | Sma-Ss | Sta-Std | Ste-Sth | Sti-Sy | Ta-Te | Tf-Ti | Tj-Tz | U | V | Wa-We | Wf-Wh | Wi-Wz | XYZ