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greeting Royals with just the right manner of respectful homage. It was considered a great honour to be photographed by "Old" Downey himself. He never "took" anyone lower than one of the
Princesses, or perhaps a duchess now and then, if he felt in the mood. His staff treated him rather like Royalty itself, and, when he rode abroad in his carriage, they would stand round with rugs, cushions, etc., until he waved them aside in lordly fashion.
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286:"Young" Downey (he was always known as "Young" Downey to distinguish him from his father) was a big man – or so he seemed to me then – with a bald head. He was an artist in his work, and used to say that he always knew the best side of anybody's face after one good look at them. He certainly made some fine photographs of the famous beauties of his time, and possessed the art of retaining character in the face of his sitter...
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I can remember the
Downeys quite well – they were father and son. "Old" Downey was a very tall old man with a long white beard, and very red-rimmed eyes. He always wore a long frock-coat with a red ribbon in his buttonhole, and looked a dignified old gentleman, who was quite capable of receiving and
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William's brother Daniel also married, to
Elizabeth Smith Beloe on 10 March 1863. She was the eldest daughter of William Linton Beloe, a Professor of Music. They had three children together: Robert Ingham Downey, Elizabeth, and Victoria Christine. The mother Elizabeth died, aged 40, on 22 September
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I used to enjoy my visits to the Downey père et fils. "Young" Downey was very fond of children, and my sisters Doris and Grace and I had plenty of fun playing about in the great studio, or dressing ourselves up in the wonderful assortment of garments that he kept
255:'s carbon process for their best work. In the 1880s Mawson, Swan & Morgan of Newcastle, was the world's largest manufacturer of photographic dry plates, the convenience of which made photography a commercial reality.
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William initially worked as a carpenter and boatbuilder, but in about 1855 he set up a photography studio in South
Shields with his brother Daniel Downey (1831 – 15 July 1881). They later established branches in
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William Fowler Downey (the senior
William) had married Caroline Griffiths of Cheshire. They had two sons, William Edward and Robert Ingham (who died an infant). Caroline died in 1874.
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William's youngest son, Arthur, as A.J.H. Downey, continued the family business: his work included a portrait of King George V's children in 1910, the year of the king's accession.
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On 28 December 1876 Daniel remarried. His second wife was Mary née
Stratford. Daniel died on 15 July 1881 in Bethnal House (a private lunatic asylum) in
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162:), who came to be known as the Queen's Photographer, was born in King Street in South Shields, a decade before commercial photography was practiced.
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at the York
Agricultural Show in 1865. The studio also produced the iconic carte-de-visite portrait of the Princess of Wales piggybacking
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in London in 1872 and opened another studio, his brother managing the
Newcastle branch. The London studio enjoyed the patronage of
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William Downey's son, William Edward Downey (1855–1908), managed most of the royal sittings for the London studio during the
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5 December 1896, special supplement showing Queen
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and produced portraits of every parliamentarian of the day. The location of the resulting images has been lost.
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502:, London: Cassell & Co., 1890–94 5 vols., 4to, with 180 mounted photographs by W. & D. Downey
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The doyen of photographers – Mr Wm Downey of Messrs W & D Downey, Ebury Street, S W
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spent some time there during the eighties and afterwards invented the
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studio photographers operating in London from the 1860s to the 1910s.
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Photographers in
Victorian London – Collection of Roger F.Vaughan
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William remarried, to Lucy Lyon in 1877; she was born in 1843 in
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W. E. L Animated photographs at Windsor Castle 23 November 1896
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during the 1860s. The studio's first Royal image was of the
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An advertisement of W. & D. Downey, displaying numerous
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Portraits by W. & D. Downey in the collection of the
135:, in the 1880s, as Prince of Wales by W. & D. Downey
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Exhibitions of the Royal Photographic Society 1870–1915
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26 July 1894 p 13, photo, interview with William Downey
267:, ending the monopoly of studios on permanent images.
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Mr William Downey, the grand old man of photography
55:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
597:W. & D. Downey – Collection of Roger F.Vaughan
320:, London. His widow Mary Downey survived to 1948.
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338:"William Downey - National Portrait Gallery"
16:Victorian era studio photographers in London
516:Our Royal photographs – How they were taken
445:"Home - Week ending 12 February 2005 - 386"
419:"W. & D. Downey (floruit 1863-1910s)"
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115:Learn how and when to remove this message
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43:Relevant discussion may be found on the
197:, from both Asian and European royalty.
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574:, 29 November 1907 pp 902 – 903, illus
536:Mr W. Downey, the Queen's photographer
399:Chronicle, Evening (3 February 2005).
53:adding citations to reliable sources
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201:In 1863 they opened a studio at 9,
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650:19th-century English photographers
508:, series of 10 weekly articles in
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660:Photographers from Northumberland
615:National Portrait Gallery, London
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655:Photography companies of England
568:Forty years a Royal photographer
512:1 January – 19 March 1891, illus
154:William Downey (14 July 1829 in
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421:. 11 March 2007. Archived from
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635:British portrait photographers
579:British Journal of Photography
572:British Journal of Photography
544:March 1896 pp 643 – 652, illus
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401:"Victorian age seen in focus"
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564:Vol 1 1906 pp 10 – 14, illus
541:English Illustrated Magazine
500:The Cabinet Portrait Gallery
471:"421 British Royal Family--"
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375:"Heritage-Images / TopFoto"
344:. National Portrait Gallery
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532:12 October 1895 p 1, port;
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645:Photographers from London
562:Professional Photographer
184:Hartley Colliery Disaster
506:A grand old photographer
244:. The studio received a
304:Speenhamland, Berkshire
295:Marriages and families
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630:Photographic studios
602:The Royal Collection
211:Houses of Parliament
64:"W. & D. Downey"
49:improve this article
451:. 12 February 2005
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140:W. & D. Downey
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477:. 27 October 2022
238:Princess of Wales
186:in January 1862.
158:— 7 July 1915 in
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348:29 December
261:Box Brownie
253:Joseph Swan
131:A photo of
624:Categories
577:Obituary,
481:27 October
475:Sothesby's
429:27 October
384:27 October
324:References
160:Kensington
133:Edward VII
75:newspapers
272:Edwardian
265:roll film
248:in 1879.
207:Newcastle
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144:Victorian
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234:Frogmore
230:Balmoral
224:and the
379:TopFoto
313:1873.
182:of the
172:Morpeth
150:History
89:scholar
363:Downey
290:there.
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274:era.
168:Blyth
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