Photographer's Profile : Henry Mower of Torquay, Exeter, Bath, Bristol & Birmingham

Photographer's Profile : Henry Mower of Torquay, Exeter, Bath, Bristol & Birmingham

Victorian & Edwardian
Portrait Photo Collection

Cardstock designs, arranged in approximate date order
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::::: Photographers' Profiles :::::

Trade Directory entries

Devonshire Trades Directory (1878-1879)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 29 South street, Exeter; and Bristol

Slater's Directory of N & S Wales etc. (1880)
- Mower, Henry, photographer, 31 Park st. & 3 Park row, Bristol
- Eden Elizabeth, photographic artist, 8 Triangle South, Queen's rd, Bristol

Post Office Bath Directory (1884-85)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 3 Argyle place, Grove street, Bath

Warwickshire Trade Directory (1888)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 124 Digbeth, Birmingham

Kelly's Directory of Bristol (1902)
- Mower & Co. photographers, 39 Park street, Bristol
- Mower Mars. V. photographer, 23 Clarence road, Bristol

Kelly's Directory of Bristol (1914)
- Mower Percival M. photographer, 23 Clarence road West st, Bristol
- Mower Mrs Emily Mary, 14 Hanbury road, Clifton, Bristol
- Mower & Co. photographers, 39 Park Street, St Augustines's Bristol
- Mower Cecil S. motor engineer, 17 & 18 Nelson street, Bristol

Photographers in Devon 1842-1939 : a brief directory for photograph collectors, by C.G. Scott, 1985, The PhotoHistorian Supplement No. 101, ISSN 0957-0209

Professional Photographers in Birmingham 1842-1914 (June 1987), by C.E. John Aston, Michael Hallett & Joseph McKenna, Supplement No. 116 to The PhotoHistorian, publ. by the Royal Photographic Society.

References

Historical Directories from the University of Leicester

Bristol Photographers by Roger Vaughan

Transcript of the 1851 Censuses of Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset & Wiltshire, by Gordon Beavington

Indexed 1871- 1901 Census Images from Ancestry.com

1881 Census Transcript & International Genealogical Index (IGI) from the LDS Church's web site FamilySearch

Partial Transcript of the GRO Index from FreeBMD

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Marcia Penny, John Godin and Roger Vaughan for kind contributions of images and information.

Henry Mower (1831-) and family, of Torquay, Exeter, Bath, Bristol & Birmingham

Henry Mower was born at Calne, Wiltshire in about 1831, son of a confectioner Thomas Mower and his wife Mary. He appears to have had at least nine children between 1859 and 1876, from separate liaisons with two sisters, Sarah Jane Eden (1839-1901) and Elizabeth Eden (1841-1895), from Devizes, Wiltshire. Henry eventually married Sarah Jane at Bristol in 1875.

Henry MOWER (b. c.1831 Calne WIL, son of Thomas & Mary) ?m1: Elizabeth EDEN (b. c.1841 Devizes WIL d. 1895 Bristol GLS) m2: 1875 Bristol Sarah Jane EDEN (b. c.1841 Devizes WIL d. 1900 Bristol GLS)(both were daughters of Thomas & Mary EDEN of Devizes)
|- Jane Mower EDEN (b. c.1859 Bristol GLS) m: 1877 Bristol GLS William George POOLE (b. c.1857 Bristol GLS)

|- Ernest William G. POOLE (b. 1879 Bristol GLS)
|- Frank Henry POOLE (b. c.Mar 1881 Bristol GLS)
|- Beatrice Mary POOLE (b. c.1882 Bristol GLS)
|- Frederick N. POOLE (b. c.1884 Sheffield YKS)
|- Harold Bertie POOLE (b. 1886 Sheffield YKS)
|- Kate Lilian POOLE (b. 1887 Sheffield YKS)
|- Alfred Edward POOLE (b. 1893 Sheffield YKS)
|- Ida POOLE (b. c.1897 Sheffield YKS)

|- Thomas Henry Eden MOWER (b. c.1861 Trowbridge WIL) m: Emily Mary (b. c.1866 Exeter DEV)

|- Percival Henry S. MOWER (b. 1885 Bristol GLS)
|- Ivy Emily M. MOWER (b. 1888 Bristol GLS) m: 1910 Bristol GLS ??
|- Cecil Sidney MOWER (b. 1890 Bristol GLS)
|- Ruby MOWER (b. c.1892 Bristol GLS)

|- Beatrice Emma Eden MOWER (b. c.1864 Middle Chinnock SOM)
|- Marston Eden MOWER (b. c.1865 Marston SOM d. 1896 Christchurch HAM)
|- Florence Eden MOWER (b. c.1866 Creech SOM) m: 1889 Barton Regis WIL Harry Ralph MARSHALL

|- Norman H.R. MARSHALL (b. c.1891 Bristol GLS)

|- Kate Eden MOWER (b. c.1866 Creech/West Chinnock SOM) m: 1892 Calne WIL Edwin Henry BELL (b. c.1867 d. 1897 Barton Regis)

|- Kathleen Ada BELL (b. 1893 Bristol GLS)
|- Edwin Seymour BELL (b. c.1895 Bristol GLS)

|- Bertram Eden MOWER (b. c.1868 Exeter DEV)
|- Ada Eden MOWER (b. c.1870 Exeter DEV) m: 1892 Bristol GLS William GRANT (b. c.1856 SCT)

|- William Gordon GRANT (b. c.1892 Bristol GLS)
|- Alexander GRANT (b. c.1895 Bristol GLS)
|- Morrison GRANT (b. c.1899 Bristol GLS)

|- Percival "Percy" MOWER (b. c.1876 Bath SOM m: 1899 Bath GLS Florence Mary HILL (b. c.1880 d. 1900 Bristol GLS) m2: 1902 Bath GLS ??

|- Percival Marston MOWER (b. & d. 1900 Bristol GLS)

Henry Mower appears to have first worked as a travelling photographer, appearing as a photographic artist (lodger) in Acton Turville, Gloucestershire in the April 1861 census. However, by the mid-1860s he had started a studio at London House, Belgrave Road, Torquay in Devon. He opened another studio at 27 South Street, Exeter in about 1869, and by April 1871 he was living there with his brother-in-law Joseph Eden (1852-1883), who was working as an assistant in the shop. Jane Eden was still living at 6 Hall's Buildings, Belgrave Road, Tormoham (a suburb of Torquay) with three children, and working as a housekeeper, while a John Waite (1831-1889) was shown as a photographer in the same lodgings. It seems likely that Waite was running the Torquay studio for Henry at this time, since Scott (1985) shows Mower listed there until at least 1873. It seems likely that Waite took over the Torquay studio between then and 1878, when Scott lists the premises under his name. Elizabeth Eden, on the other hand, was living with another three children at 6 Clifton Road, Exeter in April 1871, and working as a general servant.

Henry Mower and Sarah Jane Eden were married at Bristol in 1875, and he appears to have opened studios in both Bath and Bristol shortly afterwards. However, he maintained the studio in Exeter until at least 1885. In April 1881 Frederick Tom Parsons (1858-) is shown as a photographer at 29 South Street in the census, and presumably ran the studio for him. Scott (1985) lists an undated portrait which shows that the studio was at some staged named, the "Mower's Portrait Rooms," the latter being managed by one W.H. Halliday. Another, also undated, shows the premises at 29 South Street as, "T.H. Mower, late H. Mower, Bristol & Exeter Portrait Co."

The Bath studio premises appear to have been open from at least 1876 until 1884, when Henry was shown at 3 Argyle place, Grove street. However, both Henry Mower and Elizabeth Eden (1841-1895) also had several studios in Bristol from 1876 onwards. Vaughan shows Henry with premises at 8 Ruysdael Place in 1876, although Elizabeth was operating at that address under her own name in 1879. In 1880, Henry had a shop at 31 Park Street (another entrance on 3 Park Row), while Elizabeth was at 8 Triangle South, Queen's Road. The Park street premises remained open through the 1880s, and by April 1891 two of Henry's sons, Marston Mower (1865-1896) and Thomas Henry Mower (1861-) were also working as photographers, Marston probably with his father and Thomas Henry with Elizabeth Eden in premises at 9 Clare Street.

In the late 1890s, Henry's youngest son Percival "Percy" M. Mower (1876-) also became a photographer, probably taking over the busines of his elder brother Marston at 23 Clarence Road, Bristol, on the latter's death in 1896. He was shown at that address until at least 1931. In 1914 Thomas Henry's wife, Emily Mary Mower (1866-) was listed in premises at 14 Hanbury road, Clifton, Bristol, while the old family business, which had been referred to as Mower & Co. since at least 1899, and continued at these premises until 1928. It was possibly a successor to Mower, Eden & Co. which operated c. 1892 at 39 Park Street, the name Eden being dropped after the death of Elizabeth in 1895.

I have found no positive sightings of Henry Mower senior in census records after 1881, although directories (in Aston et al, 1987) suggest that he had another studio at 124 Digbeth, Birmingham, Warwickshire from 1886 to 1893, and a second studio at 72 Parade for the latter from 1888 to 1893. However, his wife Sarah Jane was shown as still married, rather than as a widow in the 1891 Census, so presumably he was still alive at that time.

If you have any further information about the Mower-Eden family and their studios, or if you have any photographs by them, please email me. I welcome contributions of images to increase the variety of coverage on this site. If you are able to identify or confirm the indentification of any of the subjects of the photographs shown below, I would also be very keen on hearing from you.

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to see the reverse of the photo

		ID #: hmower05 Provenance: Exeter Album Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, London House, Belgrave Road, Torquay Negative No. none Size: Mount 63.5 x 104.5 mm; Photo 60 x 90 mm Card Type: CDV Type Ia (pale violet), Ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1866-1868 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s. Full length portrait with architectural backdrop.
		ID #: hmower01 Provenance: Exeter Album Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. none Size: Mount 63 x 99 mm; Photo 58 x 92 mm Card Type: CDV Type Ib (pale violet), Ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1869-1871 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Trimmed at bottom. Subject: Unidentified
		ID #: hmower03 Provenance: Exeter Album Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. 1109 Size: Mount 63.5 x 104 mm; Photo 60 x 91.5 mm Card Type: CDV Type Ib (pale violet), Ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1871-1874 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Inscribed "Lizzie Salter" on the reverse. Subject: Lizzie Salter, probably in her 20s or early 30s.
		ID #: hmower08 Provenance: Sellek Family Album Collection of Marcia Penny Artist: H. Mower, of 29 South St, Exeter Negative No. unknown Size: Carte de visite (unknown) Card Type: unknown Date: Undated, probably taken c.1878 Notes: none Subject: Caroline "Carrie" Ellen Coxwell (1852-), full-length standing portrait with chair.
		ID #: hmower02 Provenance: Exeter Album Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 29 South Street, Exeter Negative No. none Size: CDV Mount 64.5 x 105.5 mm; Photo 60.5 x 91.5 mm Card Type: Type Ic (pale violet), Ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts and new text. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1873-1876 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s.
		ID #: hmower04 Provenance: Exeter Album Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. none Size: CDV Mount 63.5 x 106 mm; Photo 56.5 x 90 mm Card Type: Type II (gold), Ribbon & rope device, with floating corners frame, 6 fonts and extra text above & below. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1876-1879 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s.
		ID #: hmower06 Provenance: Collection of Roger Vaughan Artist: H. Mower, 31 Park Street & Park Row, Bristol Negative No. none Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type III (brown), ornate initial letters, 7 fonts. Date: Undated, but probably taken in the mid- to late 1880s. Notes: Rounded corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s, semi-three-quarter-length portrait in a "rustic" studio setting.
		ID #: hmower07 Provenance: Collection of John Godin Artist: Mower, Eden & Co., 8 Clare Street corner of March St., Bristol Negative No. none Size: unknown Card Type: Type IV (gold), embossed gold lettering on dark green card. Date: Undated, but probably taken c. 1893-1894. Notes: Subject: Henry Ellis (1846-1910) & Rachel Ellis née Duddridge (1851-) with their youngest son John "Jack" Ellis (b. c.1893), full-length family portrait.

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