Early professional photographers in Wycombe 1860-1877

Extract from newspaper advert for Frogmoor Photographic Studio

The earliest record of a photographer offering services in High Wycombe is an entry in the 1864 edition of Kelly's Trade Directory by W.C.Sansome of Easton St. Three years later, on 14 December 1867, Sansome placed an advertisement in the Bucks Free Press (BFP) announcing a 'Great Reduction in Price' on  Cartes de Visite (CdV), at six for five shillings (25p). This advertisement was probably in response to growing competition in the town, but the business seems to have declined because he placed another ad in the Bucks Free Press on 5 November 1869 offering "his business to let". This advert is also interesting because in it Sansome claims that his business had been established for 15 years, which puts the starting year at 1855.

On 26 June 1868 an A. Szarkowski 'Photographer from Poland' placed an advert in the BFP for 'superior' Carte de Visites at six shillings (30p) per dozen, considerably undercutting Sansome's advertised price of 10 shillings (50p) per dozen. He was based at 3 Crendon Villas, but appears to have been only 'passing through' and had moved on by the end of the year.

The competition increased further when Laz Roberts advertised in the BFP 23 October 1868, further reducing the price for CdV's to 3s.6d (17.5p) per dozen. At this time he was operating from Hughenden Road, Frogmoor Gardens, but early in 1870 he moved his business to 85 Easton St. He placed an advert in the BFP on 16 March to say that he was applying for permission to move, and then on 29 March announcing that he had moved, and was now open for business. Later in the year, on 2 September, he advertised that "he is working on entirely new process of his own, Chromophotography, and taking life-like CdVs in Natural Colours". The last we hear of Laz Roberts is in 1875 when he advertised in Judson's Trade Directory.

Two other photographers appear in 1870; advertising on 20 May were F and H. Dann working in Hughenden Road but also able to make "special arrangements for sittings to be made at 23, Easton Street, or at the Glass Room". And on 27 May a Mr Thorpe working at Denmark Street. The Danns are interesting, because they are the first photographers to advertise Landscape as well as Portrait photography.

The year 1877 was an eventful one, with two new photographers coming to the town, both taking large front-page adverts in the BFP on 21September to publicise their arrival. Henry W. Taunt & Co announced that their Photographic Gallery at 81 Easton St was under entirely new management. This company was well established in Oxford, at 9 and 19 Broad St. The second announcement was that the Frogmoor Photographic Studio was now open at 3 Oxford Street, "conducted by Mr J.P.Starling from A.J.Melhuish, Esq, F.R.A.S., of Portman Square, London, Photographer to the Royal Family". The advert went on to say that Mr Starling had "practised the different Branches of the Art under the best masters in each Department of the Profession". Both Taunt and Starling ran adverts every week in the BFP up until the end of the year 1877, so clearly competition was fierce.