Smaller Sizes of Portrait - Photographers in England - East of England Region

We have divided England into Geographical Regions in order to keep the page sizes manageable for our listings of stickyback photographers. All the regions are listed here. Within each regional page, practitioners are listed by location alphabetically. If you are looking for a practitioner by name, start with our page "Smaller sizes of portrait - photographers by name"

East of England Region, includes: Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk. Locations included so far are: Gorleston on Sea, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend on Sea, Walthamstow

GORLESTON ON SEA

See entry below under Great Yarmouth, for the Radient or Radiant Photo Co

GREAT YARMOUTH

Address: 16 The Arcade Gt Yarmouth 1904-08, 422 Strand, London 1904 (and Provinces), 3 Pelham Arcade Hastings 1903-5, 62 Dame Street, Dublin, 1903, Claremont Pier Lowestoft
Possible Practitioner: Chic Photo Co
Operating dates 1904-08 in Yarmouth
References: See our main entry for the Chic Photo Co under the address of 422 Strand, London.

Address: 40 the Arcade Great Yarmouth 1906-08, 41 and 42 Marine Arcade in 1908 (This was "The Arcade" re-named and enlarged). Also at Gorleston on Sea, Norfolk, address currently unknown.
Possible practitioner: Radient (or Radiant) Photo Co - names of individuals involved in the firm not currently known.
Operating dates: 1906-08
References:
Photo Historian Paul Godfrey reports that a firm called the Radient (or Radiant) Photo Co traded in Gorleston and Great Yarmouth around 1906-08. Paul has kindly allowed us to reproduce below from his collection two sub carte de visite sized portraits in slip in mounts and a postcard portrait which show that this was a stickyback and postcard firm. The firm advertised in the local press: The Eastern Evening News, 1st June 1906: "WANTED AT ONCE a smart young man for shop. Apply Radiant Photo Co The Arcade Great Yarmouth" The Eastern Daily Press, 5 June 1908 carried an advert "SMART YOUNG LADY for counter apply Radiant Photo Co. 40. Arcade. Gt. Yarmouth". Kelly’s Norfolk Directory 1908 records photographers Hogan and Davies at 40 and 41 Marine Arcade, Great Yarmouth. We do not currently have an address for Radient in Gorleston, but in 1908 Hogan and Davis had a base there, in Lower Marine Parade. Did Hogan and Davis also trade as "Radiant", or did they take over Radiant's business, or were they just similarly located but not connected?

The first image below shows a postcard portrait by Radient of an unknown man. Note the negative or job number pinned to the studio backdrop. This is believed to be from around 1908, the firm's address on the reverse of the postcard is shown as 41 and 42 Marine Arcade Gt Yarmouth. Next is a portrait of an unknown couple, slipped into a mount with an oval aperture which has the text on the face "The Radiant Photo Co Great Yarmouth & Gorleston on Sea". The photo is also shown outside the mount, which shows a job or negative number in the upper margin, which is concealed when the photo is inserted into the mount. Below this is another example of a sub carte de visite sized portrait of an unknown couple, in a different type of slip in mount, with the same text impressed into the face of the mount. (All images from the Paul Godfrey Collection)

IPSWICH

Address: 59 St Matthews Ipswich
Possible practitioner: MASON
Operating dates: 1906-07
References: Evening Star - Friday 16 November 1906 P2. "Wanted, smart, active, youth at once. Apply Sticky Backs, St Matthews." (Ipswich) . Evening Star (Suffolk) - Monday 07 January 1907 p2. "Photographs by the mile. 12 for 4d. They've all got sticky backs. Don't mistake the address: Masons, 59a St Matthews." (Ipswich). Evening Star - Tuesday 05 February 1907 p2."Your photo on postcards 1s 9d per doz, highly finished cabinet 4s per doz, Sticky Backs 4d per doz: same address - Masons 59 St Matthews." (Ipswich)
Robert Pols lists an Ipswich photographer MASON, J Winton of 21 St Peter's Street, Ipswich listed in local Directories 1906,1906/7 and 1908 www.early-photographers.org.uk/Suf%20K-M.html Also, Robert Polls excellent listing of photographers from Kings Lynn, Norfolk, http://subdomain.early-photographers.org.uk/?page_id=84 has an entry for The Gainsborough Studio, Kings Lynn, where he draws attention to a newspaper report from the Lincolnshire Echo 11 May 1907, p4: "COUNTY Court On Thursday, before His Honour Judge Mulligan, K.C., Charles Holman, of Norfolk-street, Lynn, tobacconist. sued George Mason and Foster, formerly trading as Gainsborough Photo Company, and now the Sticky Backs Company, Ipswich, for £5 damage done to premises which they hired in Norfolk Street, Lynn. It was alleged that the large number of gas burners which defendants used for taking photographs at night took all the virtue out of the ceiling, whilst chemicals were spilt about the floors and damaged them. It appeared that the tenancy expired on the 25th March, but defendants gave up the keys in January, and the repairs were executed by the middle of February. His Honour held that under these circumstances the plaintiff could not recover. After the landlord took possession the tenant could not re-enter, because in that case he would have been a trespasser. The landlord should have seen to the matter before he took possession, and given the tenant an opportunity to execute the repairs."

Address: 10 Northgate Street, Ipswich
Possible practitioner: not currently known
Operating dates: -1909
References: Evening Star - Thursday 25 February 1909 p2. " For sale studio camera, sticky back photos in good condition; to be seen at 10 Northgate Street. No reasonable offer refused".

Address: 49 St Matthews Street Ipswich
Possible practitioner: BOULTWOOD, SIDNEY
Operating dates: 1913
References: Stickybacks Studio, 49 St Matthews Street, Ipswich, 1913. One of Sidney Boultwood's Sticky Back Studios, listed on David Simkin's excellent site on Sussex Photographers at www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/BoultwoodStickyBacksStudio.htm where you will find the full history of Sidney Boultwood (1882-1958) and his family

LOWESTOFT

Address: Claremont Pier, Lowestoft. (Also 422 Strand, London 1904 (and Provinces), 3 Pelham Arcade Hastings 1903-5, 62 Dame Street, Dublin, 1903, 16 The Arcade Gt Yarmouth 1904-08,
Possible practitioner: Chic Photo Co
Operating dates: not known - ? some time between 1905 and 1910
References: See the main entry on this site for Chic Photo Co under the address of 422 Strand London.

Address: Lowestoft Bridge, Lowestoft 1912-13, 155 London Road, Lowestoft 1912-13.
Possible practitioner: BOULTWOOD, SIDNEY
Operating dates: 1912-13
References: Stickybacks Studio, Lowestoft Bridge, Lowestoft 1912-13 and 155 London Road, Lowestoft 1912-13 were Sidney Boultwood's Sticky Back Studios, which David Simkin has listed on his excellent site on Sussex Photographers at www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/BoultwoodStickyBacksStudio.htm where you will find the full history of Sidney Boultwood (1882-1958) and his family. The stickyback example below is from this studio, measuring 30 x 43mm, of an unknown lady with a high collar and brooch, and includes a signboard showing "Lowestoft. Bridge" and a job number. This photograph is cut from a vertical strip. This image is reproduced with the kind permission of Ron Cosens (www.cartedevisite.co.uk)

NORWICH

Address: Prince of Wales Rd, Orford Place Norwich in 1906
Possible practitioner: TANEY and Co ,
Operating dates: 1906
References: Eastern Evening News - Saturday 14 April 1906 p1. "They've all got Sticky Backs!" come to the old firm for cheap and good photography midget size 12 for 1 s. Taney and company Orford Place (Tram Centre). Removed from Prince of Wales Rd Norwich". Robert Pols in his excellent site on Norfolk photographers lists George TANEY, who, with his son George E Taney also traded as Taney and Co, at a number of different Norwich addresses between 1864 and 1904. The firm was at Prince of Wales Road, according to local trade directories from 1877-1904. Robert does not pick up the Orford Place address for the firm, suggesting this might have been a relatively short-lived venture at the end of the 40 year plus life of the firm. Photo historian Paul Clarke from Bury St Edmunds has posted on flickr.com a stickyback portrait of a youth in naval uniform from Prince of Wales Rd Studio www.flickr.com/photos/runninginsuffolk/30967173336

PETERBOROUGH

Address: Midgate Peterborough
Possible practitioner: Not currently known
Operating dates: c.1902-1906
References: See entry on our site at www.fadingimages.uk/photoSti.asp . Below is a photograph of the outside of the premises.

Address: Narrow Street, Peterborough
Possible practitioner: Not currently known. Possibly ETCHES, JOHN BORRILL ?
Operating dates: c.1916
References: See entry on our site at www.fadingimages.uk/photoSti.asp. Photo below proves the existence of this Sticky Back studio. The photograph below has been reproduced with the permission of its owner, Carol Petchey, and with the permission of the Chatteris site of the Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network, where it has been posted. The photograph shows Mary Bishop, aged 20, who was born & lived at Beezlings Farm, Chatteris, the daughter of Emily Maltman Bishop (nee Jackson) & Fred Bishop. This appears to be a "Stickybacks" portrait having a text bar at the bottom of the image. The text states "Narrow St PBoro" with a photo number in the left hand corner which appears to be "552". The owner of the image dates this at around 1916. Mary is shown in the 1911 census as being born in 1897, dating the photograph to 1916/17. The large hat suggests a date after 1910, so is consistent with this dating. So this suggests there was a stickybacks photographer in Narrow Street Peterborough around 1916, up to some 10 years after the demolition of the Midgate building. Was the Stickyback photograph of Mary Bishop taken by one of the photographers already listed on this site with premises in Narrow Street, or by another, as yet unidentified, photographer? A number of different photographers operated from Narrow Street over the years (Ball and Co at No 13 until 1907 and Squire Phillips at No 16 in 1924). The closest date we have for 1916 is the Rapid Photo Co at 24 Narrow Street in 1914. The Rapid Photo Company would appear to have been in the hands of John Borrill Etches when he contracted to dispose of its stock in trade and goodwill to Hunstanton photographer May Bone in April 1916. This was a transaction which Etches had agreed to, but failed to carry out, resulting in May Bone successfully taking him to court in 1921 and winning damages.

SOUTHEND ON SEA

Address: 12 Victoria Avenue, Southend On Sea
Possible practitioner: BOULTWOOD, SIDNEY
Operating dates: 1911-12
References: Stickybacks Studio, 12 Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea 1911-12. This was one of Sidney Boultwood's Sticky Back Studios, listed on David Simkin's excellent site on Sussex Photographers at www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/BoultwoodStickyBacksStudio.htm where you will find the full history of Sidney Boultwood (1882-1958) and his family

Address: 55 High Street, Southend on Sea.
Possible practitioner: MASON, EUGENE and his wife, MASON NELLIE, aka Stickybacks or Faces
Operating dates: ?1913-14
References: See entry for MASON at Chatham in the entries for S E Region

Address: 2 Marine Parade, Southend on Sea.
Possible Practitioner: Identity not currently known, trading as "The Anglo American Studio" or as "Stickybacks"
Operating dates: c.1915-20
References: See below a postcard format portrait of a young woman, standing beside a Victorian plant stand, with a painted backdrop of a beach and pier scene. This could be showing Southend Pier. Just visible in frame, top centre, part of the image, is a job number 819. On the reverse is printed "The Anglo American Studio, 2 Marine Parade, Southend-on-Sea" (reproduced with permission from the collection of Ron Cosens www.cartedevisite.co.uk). Next is shown a postcard format portrait of a young girl in a dark studio set with painted back-cloth showing an outdoor scene, and indoor furniture. The little girl is holding what appears to be a small metal bucket. Inside the shot, in the top left corner, are two printed cards bearing the job numbers 881 and 6, pinned onto a ribon. In very small print the top margin carries the text "Stickybacks 2 Marine Parade Southend" Were there two cheap-work studios at 2 Marine Parade, or one, which, for some reason, changed its name? The studio was probably short-lived as no advertisements have been found for it in the local press or trade directories beween 1906 and 1922. The broad dating 1915-20 is based on costumes and more evidence is needed to state this with any real accuracy.

Address: Pier Hill Buildings, Southend on Sea, Essex (Also at 56 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells and at 2 (or 2A) Queen Street, Oxford )
Possible practitioner: The Novelty Portrait Co proprietor believed to be Samuel Payne Jenkins, aka S.B.Jenkins (or S.Philip Jenkins)
Operating dates: c. 1906 - 1907
References: Full details appear in the entry for Oxford

Address: 7 Pier Hill, Southend on Sea, Essex, home address: 55 Heygate Avenue Southend
Possible practitioner: FOOTRING, Harry
Operating dates: 1912
Information and References: Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser, Thursday 15 August 1912 p6: "MR. STICKY-BACK. Serious assault at Pier Hill. Arthur Deighton, canvasser, of Southend was charged with assaulting Harry Footring, photographer of 55 Heygate Avenue. Defendant pleaded guilty and asked that the case should be adjourned so that he could issue a summons against Footring for assault. Footring was taking photos at Pier Hill when defendant came in, allegedly drunk, and a fight ensued, during which a couple of windows were broken. Found guilty and fined £1 and costs." Southend Standard and Essex Weekly Advertiser, Thursday 31 October 1912 p6: "Stickybacks, 7 Pier Hill, are open throughout the winter; three high class cards 6d and 12 stickybacks 3d. satisfaction guaranteed".

WALTHAMSTOW

Address: 275 High Street, Walthamstow, Essex.
Possible practitioner: Argyle Studios
Operating dates: c.1907
References: An advertisement in the British Journal of Photography 4 January 1907 stated: "Assistant operator, re-toucher. Lady wanted for good class midget, postcard and cabinet business. Apply with photo, Argyle Studios, 275 High Street, Walthamstow."

Top of page