Research Forum

Mystery Photo
published by daveerasmus on Sun, 09/03/2014 - 19:50

I am trying to date a photo of a man and woman in the hope that it can help me identify who the subjects are. The photo bears the name "H.R.Smyth Boulevard Studios Weston-super-Mare". Does anyone have any information about these studios, please? I am particularly interested in knowing during which years the studios existed.

I am more than happy to upload the photo to this site if someone can tell me how/where to do it. It does not appear to have one of the acceptable file extensions (it is .bmp) or is too big (almost 7MB) so attempts to upload it as an attachment to this posting have failed

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave Erasmus

Comments ..

Submitted by daveerasmus on Mon, 10/03/2014 - 20:41

As a result of considerable help from Roy Louis Cox (thanks, Roy) I am now able to upload the photo.

Dave Erasmus

Submitted by Pat Hase on Wed, 12/03/2014 - 1:02

In the 1881 Census there is this entry for Longton Grove Road, which is just off the Boulevard.

Name                    Relation Condition Age Occupation Where Born
SMYTH, Sydney    Head      Married     56 Photographer Cornwall
SMYTH, Mary A    Wife      Married 40                       London Middlesex
SMYTH, Henry       Son      Single        23 Photographer   St Pancras, London, Middlesex

Perhaps this narrows down the search a little

Submitted by on Wed, 12/03/2014 - 16:10

Well done Pat - Dave will be quite pleased I think - will be seeing you all at the AGM

Submitted by daveerasmus on Wed, 12/03/2014 - 18:57

Thank you, Pat and Roy. Yes, very pleased.

It looks like the son, Henry, was actually Henry R. Smyth. In 1891 Henry R. Smyth, born St Pancras, a photographer, was in Fordington St George, Dorset. He was still in Dorset in 1911. The inference (but it is only that) is that the H.R.Smyth Studios were his and that he left Weston before 1891. If that is the case, then presumably the Studios either closed or carried on under new ownership. If there was a new owner I think the likelihood is that there was a new name, but that is by no means certain.

If I have the right Henry Smyth, then his wife's name was Louisa and she was born in Weston c1860. In 1891 they had a 7 month-old daughter , so it looks as if they were married c1890. There is a marriage of a Henry Reeve Smyth to either Louisa Poole or Florence Edith James in Bristol in Q3 1889. There is a Louisa ("Lousia") Poole born c1860 in Weston living in Weston in 1881, so I'm betting that's her and therefore him.

So, putting 2 and 2 together and making 4-ish I suspect that the H.R.Smyth Studios closed c1890. If that's right (?) then that would be the latest date for my photo.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this somewhat tentative conclusion.

In addition, how old do people think the couple (presumably man and wife) in the photo are?

Dave Erasmus