Horsham Photographers - W

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Professional Photographers in Horsham  (W)

William J. Waller - Edward Walton - John Wheeler

William J. WALLER 

active as a photographer in Horsham from 1910 to 1918

The photographer William J. Waller was possibly William James Waller, who was born at Rudgwick, near Horsham, in 1877. [ Birth registered in the Horsham District during the March Quarter of 1877 ]. In 1901, William Waller was employed as a postman in Slinfold, Sussex. Another William Waller, a 25 year old railway worker, is recorded in Horsham at the time of the 1901 census.

William J. Waller acquired the photographic studio at 50 North Street, Horsham around 1910. The premises at 50 North Street, situated very near the Railway Station ("6 doors from Station"), had been used as a photographic studio since the late 1890s, being previously occupied by John Wheeler (1899-1904), Edward Walton (1905-1906), and Herbert Salmon (1907-1909). William J. Waller was still in business as a photographer at 50 North Street at the outbreak of the Second World War.

[ABOVE ] A postcard portrait of  a young woman leaning on a balustrade, photographed by W. J. Waller at his studio at 50 North Street, Horsham (c1918)

[ABOVE ] A cabinet format portrait of  a woman with two children, photographed by W. J. Waller of 50 North Street, Horsham (c1910). William Waller became a photographer when the old photographic formats of the carte-de-visite and cabinet card were coming to an end. In the early 1900s,  a variety of new photographic mounts were on offer and after 1907 the most popular format was the postcard portrait. The majority of portraits taken at Waller's North Street studio between 1910 and 1918 were in postcard format (see picture, left).

 

Edward WALTON  (born c1870, Darlington, Co. Durham)

active as a photographer in Horsham from 1901 to 1906

[ABOVE ] The changing details on Edward Walton's cabinet portraits (top) 1901 (middle) 1903 (bottom) 1905.

Edward Walton was born around 1870 in Darlington, County Durham. By 1896, Edward Walton had moved to London and married a Belgium-born woman named Josephine. Edward and Josephine Walton settled in Battersea in South West London, where their first two children were born - Hortense (birth registered in the Wandsworth district during the second quarter of 1897) and George (birth registered in the Wandsworth district during the second quarter of 1899).

After working as a photographer in the West End of London, Edward Walton established his own photographic studio at 63 Northcote Road, Clapham Junction, in South West London. Around 1900, Walton acquired the former studio of Edwin Aubrey at 30 North Street, Horsham. For a brief time, Edward Walton continued to operate his studio in Clapham Junction, running the premises in Horsham as a branch studio. However, by 1901, Edward Walton was living in Horsham at his studio in North Street, together with Josephine, his twenty-seven year old wife, his four year old daughter Hortense, and George, aged 2. In the 1901 census return for 30 North Street, Horsham, Edward Walton is described as a "Photographer", aged 31.

By 1905, Edward Walton had moved to a photographic studio near Horsham Railway Station, at 50 North Street, previously operated by the photographer John Wheeler (see below). A boy named Alfred Edward Walton was born in Horsham during the first quarter of 1905, but within a couple of years Edward Walton had sold his studio at 50 North Street and moved away from Horsham. The new proprietor of the photographic studio at 50 North Street, Horsham was Herbert Salmon.

[ABOVE ] A family group photographed by Edward Walton of 50 North Street, Horsham (c1905)

 

John Wesley WHEELER  (born 1874, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire)

active as a photographer in Horsham from 1896 to 1911

John Wesley Wheeler was born at Cambridge in 1874, the son of Elizabeth and Henry Wheeler, who worked as a joiner in Cambridge. [ John Wesley Wheeler's birth was registered in Cambridge during the September Quarter of 1874 ]. John Wheeler arrived in Horsham around 1896. Wheeler is listed as a photographer at 44 North Street, Horsham in an 1896 trade directory. Towards the end of 1897, John Wheeler married Kate Charlotte Hayward (born 1870, Tunbridge Wells, Kent), the daughter of Alice and Owen Hayward, a butcher of Tunbridge Wells.[ Marriage registered during the December Quarter of 1897 ]. The couple's first child, Gladys May Wheeler, was born in 1899 [ Birth registered during the December Quarter of 1899]. John Wheeler is listed as the proprietor of the studio at 50 North Street, Horsham in Kelly's Post Office Directory of 1899.

A keen amateur musician, John Wheeler was a trumpeter and cornet player and a founder member of the Horsham Recreation Band, which was established in December 1900. Wheeler allowed the Recreation Band to rehearse at his photographic studio in North Street. Horsham Museum has a photograph of the Horsham Recreation Band taken in June 1902 by a photographer from Wheeler's studio. John Wheeler, himself, is shown sitting in the middle row of the group photograph, holding his cornet or trumpet. Sitting beside Wheeler, is fellow cornet player William Albery (1864-1950), a saddler and a keen local historian.

John Wheeler remained at 50 North Street until around 1904, when he sold the studio to Edward Walton, a photographer who had previously worked from 30 North Street, Horsham. John Wheeler moved his photography business to 4 North Street, Horsham, where he remained until at least 1911.

Some time before 1918, the studio at 4 North Street passed to the photographer Edward White Copnall (born 1878, Isle of Wight).

[ABOVE ] The design on the back of  a carte-de-visite by John Wheeler of  44 North Street, Horsham.(c1897)

 

[ABOVE ] A detail from a group photograph of the Horsham Recreation Band showing John Wheeler (on the left), with the moustache and straw boater, sitting alongside William Albery, s fellow cornet player. William Albery (1864-1950), was a saddler and well-known local historian (1902) [ABOVE] A group photograph of the Horsham Recreation Band, taken in June 1902 by a photographer from John Wheeler's studio. A keen amateur musician,  John Wheeler was a trumpeter and cornet player and a founder member of the Horsham Recreation Band. which was established in December 1900. Wheeler allowed the Recreation Band to rehearse at his photographic studio in North Street. John Wheeler, himself, is shown sitting third from the left in the middle row of this group photograph, holding his cornet or trumpet. Sitting to the right of Wheeler, is fellow cornet player William Albery (1864-1950), a Horsham saddler and a keen local historian.

 

 

[ABOVE ] Vignette portrait of  a pupil from Christ's Hospital, the well known "bluecoat school", which moved to Horsham in 1902. A  carte-de-visite photograph by John Wheeler of  North Street, Horsham.

[ABOVE ] Vignette portrait of  a lad. A carte-de-visite photograph by John Wheeler of 50 North Street, Horsham.( c1900)

[ABOVE ] Vignette portrait of  a man with a moustache. A carte-de-visite by John Wheeler of 44 North Street, Horsham (c1897)

 

 

[ABOVE ] A square format photograph by John Wheeler of  North Street, Horsham. (c1907)

[ABOVE ] A group photograph of railway workers by John Wheeler of 50 North Street, Horsham.( c1900) [PHOTO :Courtesy of Amanda Harrison ]

 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Amanda & Martin Harrison for allowing me to feature the photograph of the railway workers by John Wheeler.

Notes on Horsham Photographers & Examples of their Work

  Edwin AUBREY (aka Cocking)   - Henry AUBREY (aka Cocking)   - Mrs Matilda AUBREY   - Thomas C.  BAYFIELD   - Mrs Elizabeth BAYFIELD   -  William Henry BRIGDEN   - Jesse & Charles BROWN - Ernest CHART   - Mr CLARK of North Street   - James GOLDSWORTHY   - Henry T. HEALEY   - John HICKS   - William HOBBS   - Henry HOCKING   - James LLOYD   - Arthur LYLE   - Henry PADWICK (amateur)  - Louis C. PIERRE -   Arthur PIPER   - Thomas S. ROBINSON   - Mr RUSSELL of West Street   - Herbert SALMON   - William Henry Gilbert TATE - William WALLER - Edward WALTON - John WHEELER  

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