Edmund Passingham
Edmund Passingham – Artist, Photographer
Edmund John Passingham was born in 1841 in Islington, London. He opened a photographic studio at no 5 Hustlergate Bradford in about 1873. He was an Artist and Photographer.
In 1873 Edmund advertised in the Bradford Observer, as follows
“ Edmund Passingham, Artist Photographer, Hustlergate Bradford.
Mr Passingham respectfully invites the gentry of Bradford to inspect his portraits in Oils, Crayons &c.
Portraits in Oils, including frames, from 10 to 30 guineas.
Portraits in Crayons including frames from 5 to 15 guineas.
These portraits are executes by talented and experienced artists – as new process being used, by means of which they are guaranteed not to fade. A sitting from one to two hours is all that Mr Passingham requires to ensure a thorough likeness and work of art.
Mr Passingham wishes to draw especial attention to his Posthumous Portraits, he being eminently successful in that particular branch of his art.
Miniatures for Lockets, &c, Coloured from 1s 6d each.
Full Length Cartes 7s 6d per dozen.”
By 1874 similar adverts appear but Edmund elaborates on his statement that the portraits will not fade by stating that they are drawn on canvas and by that means they are guaranteed not to discolour or fade. Presumably Posthumous portraits were in demand by relatives of the deceased person and they were drawn from photographs or other portraits that the family already had.
Edmund married Alice Goodman in 1874 and they had two children Muriel Mariah b 1888 and Louis John b1890. Alice’s mother was Julia Salaman, a portrait painter. Her brother Walter was also a Painter and both Julia and Walter exhibited their paintings at the Royal Academy.
Edmund ran the studio at Hustlergate for a short while and then in April 1875 a notice appeared in the local press announcing the property at Hustlergate was being sold by auction.
“All those convenient BUSINESS PREMISES consisting of a shop, picture gallery, workshops, and photographic gallery, with the yard, outbuildings, and appurtenances thereto adjoining and belonging, situate in Hustlergate, in Bradford, in the county of York, comprising an area of 240 square yards or thereabouts, as the same are now occupied by Mr John Harland, carver and gilder, and Mr Edmund Passingham, photographer” The notice goes on to say that possession can be given early in July. Presumably at this point Edmund moved out of the premises. The property was bought by Mr D Sowden for £ 4,230
In 1889 the studio at 14 Tyrrel Street was taken over by another Bradford Photographer Francis Driver. Edmund and his family moved to Brighton and Edmund took on a studio at 88 Kings Road and named it The Platino Grapho Studio. They lived at 67 Freshfield Road. The website Spokeo suggests that Walter Goodman also had a studio at 88 Kings Road. If this is so and Walter and Edmund worked alongside each other then it begs the question as to whether the same happened in Bradford. The 1891 census shows Alice at home with Edmund and Alice's two children Muriel Julia Passingham b 1887 in Bradford and Louis John Passingham b 1890 in Brighton and Alice's mother Julia . Edmund was not at home when the Census was taken. Walter had moved to Hove and is shown with his wife Clara Isabelle and children Walter Jnr and Joaquin.
When W Jerome Harrison's book 'A History of Photography' was published by Percy Lund in 1888 there was a full page advertisement for a retouching desk that Edmund had designed and patented. The advert explained how it worked. "The principal novel feature consists of the arrangement for lighting the negative during retouching. Instead of the usual carriers, which allow the light to stream through the whole of the negative, the slope is provided with an aperture only 3ins x 2ins, but a swing-arm rest is arranged so that any part of the negative can be easily brought over the opening. The light is reflected from an adjustable mirror and subdued by passing through a finely glass screen. Side light is excluded from the upper side of the negative by wings of leatherette cloth. The desk is of well finished pine, blacked, and the struts that hold it in position when opened are of iron. The upper flap which forms a shade over the head for retouching can be let down, when the desk will be found convenient for spotting, colouring, or working up positives"
A studio at 14 Tyrrel Street was opened in 1877 leaving a gap of two years when he may have worked from home. The opening of the studio at Tyrrel Street coincided with the arrival of Alice’s Brother Walter Goodman who moved to Bradford in 1877 to live with Edmund and Alice. Walter had travelled the world and lived a bohemian lifestyle. He spent time in Florence, Barcelona, and Cuba. In addition to his portrait painting he took on other work such as colouring carte de visites and painting stage scenery.
The 1881 census records Edmund and Alice along with Walter to be living at 31, Park View Road, Manningham, Bradford along with Eliza Peace domestic servant. Later that year Alice and Walter’s mother Julia joined them in Bradford.
During 1881 Walter was granted six sittings with Prince Leopold in order to complete a ¾ portrait. It is said that Princess Louise watched with much interest. Her Majesty Queen Victoria expressed herself much pleased with the work. Prince Leopold died just three years later aged 28. He had suffered from Haemophilia and after a fall he had died of a brain haemorrhage.
Walter must have been influenced by the work of Edmund Passingham when he painted “The Printseller” later to be known as 'The Printsellers Window' The painting depicts an elderly gentleman placing a figurine in a shop window which displays Carte De Visites and other portraits, paper documents and decorative objects. This painting was first exhibited in 1883 in St James and then in Liverpool and In 1884 it was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy . It was acquired in 1998 by The Memorial Art Gallery , Rochester University, NY.
Since this acquisition the galleries Peter Ogden Brown has made a study of the painting and of Walter Goodman’s background and published the book “The Print Seller’s Window” copies of which are available from the Gallery or online. You can listen to a description of the painting by following
In 1886 Edmund was responsible for a portrait of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, explorer and journalist, and a copy of this is held by the National Portrait Gallery. Sir Henry Morton Stanley was the one that set out to find Dr Livingstone in Africa and when he found him near Lake Tanganyika reportedly made the statement "Dr Livingstone I presume" . A signed and dated copy of the portrait was sold at Christies in 1996 for $1,150. Another was sold by Goldberg Auctioneers in 2002 sold for $633, this was also signed and dated 1886 and had the inscription "As a souvenir to little Effie from her friend", both images were labelled Platino Grapho Image and marked Oct 11. 1/86. On Stanley's return to England in 1890 from the Emin Pasha expedition, his last in Africa, Passingham wrote a letter to him, it was dated 22nd May 1890, the letter is held by the Royal Museum for Central Africa. Passingham's letter head reveals that he received the highest award of Silver Medal at the Bradford Fine Arts and Industrial exhibition 1882 and a First Class award for Gold Medal at the Saltaire Exhibition in 1887. The letter was one of congratulations on Stanleys safe return and it was sent with a gift of some sort from Passingham, we can only speculate on what might have been sent with the letter, perhaps more copies of the portrait he had taken in 1886. Edmund most probably got the opportunity to take the portrait of Stanley when he visited Yorkshire in October 1886 to deliver a series of lectures. The lectures were entitled "My African Travels, Exploration and Work" and one such lecture was given at the drill hall in Keighley and another in Huddersfield.
There are also two other portraits in National Portrait Gallery by Edmund Passingham and these are of Algernon Graves (taken in 1897) and Oswald John Simon.
The Graphic reported Jan 1886 that a portrait of Mr T Waymen, a new member of parliament had been produced from a Platinotype by Passingham. The Platinotype was a photographic print which had been produced used platinum salts in the printing process instead of silver salts and this resulted in a more permanant image with a richer tone.
In 1887 Edmund applied for a copyright for his picture of four international football players, details can be found in the National Archives. Address is shown at 14 Tyrrel Street.
The studio at Kings Road had previously been run by the Photographic Company Ltd who were part of the Celleria syndicate. Nearby at No91 were the studios of Mayall & Co who also had premises in London and were responsible for the photographs of many of the rich and famous including the Royal Family and Prime Ministers such as Disraeli and Lord Derby. Mayall had produced a series of Royal portraits and a Royal Album in 1860. Edmund kept the studio at Kings Road until 1895. It must have done him no harm to be so close to a prestigious studio such as Mayalls. Further information on the studio at 88 Kings Road can be found on the Photo History Sussex website.
The Platinotype photo shown here is a portrait of Alfred Moore C 1893. The reverse of the photo shows Edmund to have three studios at that time. 88 Kings Road Brighton, 34 South Audley Street, Grosvenor Square, SW, and 5 Angel Court, Throgmorton Street, EC. The Royal Academy website suggests there was another studio at 16 Mincing Lane EC, but obviously not open when this photo was taken.
Also the Photo London website suggests that he also held patents for the following.
BPatent 3352 March 5 1888 retouching.
BPatent 4024 March 15 1888 photo mounts.
Edmund applied for patents for the following.
BPatent 29924 December 29 1896 frame for process blocks (with Eyre & Spottiswoode).
