Derbyshire Photographers - Thomas Frost of Derby
Derbyshire Photographers' Profiles
by Brett Payne, of Tauranga, New Zealand
Thomas Frost

of 26½ & 92 St Peter's St, Derby

Thomas Frost, after training with Gervase Gibson, operated from studios in St. Peter's Street, Derby between 1896 and 1903.


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Thomas Frost was born in Nottingham in about 1871, one of nine children of a blacksmith's forger Charles Frost and his wife Frances.  According to Craven (1993), he trained with Gervase Gibson & Sons - this could have been in Nottingham, or at their premises in Derby, which operated at 30 St Peter's St from at least 1895 until 1900 - before taking over the studio of William Pearson at 26½ St. Peter's St.  This is supported by the CDV shown below which states, "Late with Gibson & Son."  Thomas Frost and his wife Rose went to America in the early 1890s, where their first daughter Rose was born, before they returned to Derby in about 1896.  A further two children, Charlotte Agnes and Albert Edward were born in Derby in 1898 and 1901.  The 1901 Census shows Thomas Frost's younger brother Robert Ernest Frost (b. 1877) living in Normanton, Derby, and working as a photographer's agent, perhaps for Thomas.  Adamson (1997) shows Thomas Frost operating from a studio at 92 St. Peter's Street in 1903.

Photo envelope printed for T. Frost of Victoria Studio, 26½ St. Peter's Street, Derby
Image © & courtesy of Barbara Ellison

Image © & courtesy of Barbara Ellison
Frederick G.A. Beeston also worked from this address in the mid-1900s, perhaps only briefly, and probably took over from Frost shortly after 1903.  A cabinet card using one of Frosts card mounts, with a label showing Beeston's name pasted over that of Frost is known.

There appears to be no connection between the brothers Thomas & Robert Ernest Frost of Nottingham & Derby, and the Robert Frost (b. c.1857 Cullompton, Devon) who had a studio in Loughborough from c. 1887 to at least 1900.

Portfolio
Image © & courtesy of David Lamb The Holmes family
by T. Frost (late with Gibson & Son) of Victoria Studio, 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. March 1901

Format: Cabinet card

Image © & courtesy of David Lamb


Notes: Standing at the back are: John William (1879-1948) and Ernest Reuben Holmes (1881-1967). Seated are: John's wife Selina Holmes née Bull (1876-1937), who is holding their daughter Florence May, born at Derby on 22 May 1900 (d. 1956). Next are Reuben Holmes (1855-1929) and his wife, Ellen Holmes née Alton (1856-1937). Seated at the extreme right is Ethel Holmes (1887-1975), and at the front is Arthur Holmes (1891-1948).  see Photo-Sleuth article

Image © & courtesy of Kevin Rhodes Lucy Saddington (b. 1884)
by T. Frost (late with Gibson & Son) of Victoria Studio, 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1900

Format: Carte de visite

Image © & courtesy of Kevin Rhodes

Notes

Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan Unidentified young man
by T. Frost (late with Gibson & Son) of Victoria Studio, 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1900

Format: Carte de visite
Size: Mount 62 x 101 mm

Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan


Notes by MM: This was, according to my mother, the boyfriend of Thurza Barrett Hirst, the younger sister of my grandmother Eliza Barrett Statham.

Image © & collection of Brett Payne
Unidentified young woman
by T. Frost (late with Gibson & Son) of Victoria Studio, 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1903

Format: Carte-de-visite
Size: Mount 64.5 x 104 mm Photo 48.5 x 80.5 mm

Image © & collection of Brett Payne

Notes

Image © & collection of Brett Payne

Image © & courtesy of Martin Jackson
John Thomas Bull (1882-1964)
by T. Frost of Victoria Studio, 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1903

Format: Carte-de-visite

Image © & courtesy of Martin Jackson

Notes (MJ): John Thomas Bull was born at 80 Parliament Street, Derby on 8 March 1882 (for further details, visit Martin's web site).  He married Lucy Isabel Robinson at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on 29 December 1909.  He served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War, having emigrated to Alberta, and died at 3226 Shelbourne Street, Victoria, British Columbia on 11 February 1964.


Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan Eliza Statham née Barrett (b. 1876)
by T. Frost 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1902

Format: Carte de visite

Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan

Notes: Marilyn's paternal grandmother

Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan Eliza Statham née Barratt (b. 1876)
by T. Frost 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1898-1902

Format: Carte de visite
Size: Mount 62 x 103 mm

Image © & courtesy of Marilyn McMillan

Notes: Marilyn's paternal grandmother

Image © & courtesy of Brett Payne
Unidentified woman with mandolin
by T. Frost of 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1902-1903

Format: Carte-de-visite, dark green with bevelled gilt edge
Size: Mount 63 x 104.5 mm Photo 58 x 90 mm

Image © & courtesy of Brett Payne

Notes:

Image © & courtesy of Brett Payne

Image © & collection of Brett Payne
Unidentified young woman
by T. Frost of 26½ St Peter's Street, Derby
Undated, but probably taken c. 1903

Format: Cabinet card
Size: Mount 107.5 x 165.5 mm Photo 93 x 136 mm

Image © & collection of Brett Payne

Notes

Image © & collection of Brett Payne

References
Images provided by David Lamb, Marilyn McMillan, Kevin Rhodes, Brett Payne & Martin Jackson 
1881 UK Census - online from the LDS church
1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com
1901 UK Census index - online from the PRO
FreeBMD
International Genealogical Index - online from the LDS church
Anon (1891) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Nottinghamshire, Kelly & Co., London. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories
Anon (1895) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co. Limited, London.
Anon (1895) History, Topography, and Directory of Derbyshire, T. Bulmer & Co. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith
Anon (1912) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire 1912, Kelly's Directories Ltd., London.
Derby Electoral Registers 1868-1900
Adamson, Keith I.P. (1997) Professional Photographers in Derbyshire 1843 - 1914, The PhotoHistorian, No. 118 Supplement, September 1997, ISSN 0957-0209. Courtesy of John Bradley.
Craven, Maxwell (ed.) (1993) Keene's Derby, Breedon Books, Derby, pp. 200-202. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith

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