[ cite web|url=http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=1698|publisher=The Getty Museum|title=Artists|accessdate=2008-01-17] ]
Biography
Thomas Richard Williams (1824-1871), was born on 5th May 1824 in Blackfriars, in the City of London. His father, Thomas Williams, had a coaching business covering the London-Reading route. As a young man, in the early 1840s, Thomas became an apprentice to Antoine Claudet, renowned photographer and inventor. Williams’ talent soon became apparent, and he quickly worked his way through the ranks, moving from book-keeper and assistant in the reception room to operator. He couldn’t have had a better teacher; Claudet was not only an excellent photographer but a very active innovator, always experimenting with new materials and techniques, Claudet realised that photography was still in its infancy, and dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence in this new discipline:
"“The discovery of a new art founded upon some startling facts in science, however perfect it may appear at the beginning, and little subject to improvement, rarely remains long stationary; and still more rarely can we foresee all its useful applications”"(A. Claudet, "“The Progress and Present State of the Daguerreotype Art”", 1845).
Claudet’s interest in stereography proved to be a key element in TRW’s choice of career. Binocular vision had fascinated scientist for centuries. In the 19th century, Elliot and Wheatstone studied the subject, and made the first instruments to view stereoscopic drawings as early as 1832. Logically, the advent of photography provided a perfect medium for the reproduction of binocular vision. Claudet took a keen interest in this matter and soon engaged in experiments. These were decisive years for Williams; he not only acquired a sound technical command of all the various operations involved in the production of daguerreotypes, but also matured into a young man with his own vision of the potential of photography.
In 1848, Thomas married Elizabeth Gorfin, the daughter of John Gorfin, a herald painter. Elizabeth gave birth to their first daughter, Elisabeth Mary, in 1847. The arrival of their first child and the ensuing rapid expansion of The Williams Family - they had twelve children in all, four of whom died in infancy - coincided with the time of his parting with Claudet at the end of the 1840s. Possibly, the new circumstances called for a change in Williams’ needs in employment.
A brief interlude working for Beard, as reported in various sources, may have followed. Unfortunately, we have as yet found no evidence of this collaboration.
1851 was a promising year for photography; the Great Exhibition in Kensington Gardens vindicated its creators’ dreams as a marriage of arts and sciences, receiving the approval of the general public and royalty alike. 1851 also marked the coming of age of stereoscopic photography. Although many of the pioneers of photography in Britain and abroad had produced stereoscopic images before, it was at this event that the full potential of the medium became clear, as the lenticular stereoscopes manufactured in Paris by Dubosq and Soleil under the instructions of Brewster introduced a commercially viable way to promote stereoscopy, applauded by Queen Victoria herself.
During the 1851 Great Exhibition Williams, made stereoscopic daguerreotypes of the interior of the nave. These images were at the time of unusually high quality, but it appears that they were not sold directly to the public. Shortly after the Great Exhibition, and perhaps inspired by the new success and promising future of stereoscopic photography, Williams opened his first photographic studio in 35 West Square, Lambeth. The premises acted both as studio and private residence for the young and growing family. It was a modest location, an unassuming neighbourhood with a high concentration of traditional industries (Lambeth was called “the City’s workshop”), but he rapidly acquired a fine reputation as portraitist. One source describes how the vicinity of the studio was often “blocked with a dozen carriages awaiting the visitors at Mr. Williams studio”. His portraits were rigorous and exquisitely crafted, and they displayed a contained elegance that made them highly sought-after.
Following the great success of his Lambeth studio, TRW opened a second establishment in 236 Regent Street in 1854. During the next three years, he kept the West Square premises as private residence. The new studio, with a state-of-the-art glass roof, was located on the top floors of the building, above a milliner’s shop. The street had become a popular address for photographers; by 1855 there were more than twenty photographic studios in the area, and in the coming years this number increased rapidly. It was, therefore, a highly competitive environment. Williams, with his characteristic discretion and low-key approach, did not advertise his business, or put up large signs to attract clientele. It seems, though, that the gentry beat a path to his door, and his stereoscopic portraits became highly popular.
During the first half of the 1850s, Williams also created stereoscopic images of still lifes and artistic views. He sold these photographs individually with great success, eventually becoming extremely popular and creating a new genre which was to be much emulated in the following years.
By the mid 1850s, stereoscopic photography had become more popular than ever before, and sales figures had reached unprecedented heights. The London Stereoscopic Company, founded in 1854 by George Swan Nottage, largely contributed to this boom. During this time, the success of Williams’ stereo views and the subsequent increase in demand must have tested the limited production capabilities of his business. Probably for this reason, he entered into agreement with the London Stereoscopic Company to publish his images.
A total of three stereoscopic series by Williams were published by the LSC in 1856.
The “First Series” comprised allegorical still lifes and compositions taken in his studio, as well as portraits and documentary images. The still life studies, with their fine detail and careful composition, showed a clear influence from the 17th century Dutch painting tradition, and a profound knowledge of the iconography surrounding this genre. Photographs such as “The Old Larder”, “Mortality” and “Hawk and Duckling” are superb examples of the unique power of stereography, with their superb three-dimensional compositions, and wealth of detail, which, combined with an outstanding artistic sensibility, resulted in images of astonishing finesse. Another remarkable group of images in this series, entitled “The Launching of the Marlborough”, taken on July 31 1855, was highly praised in the Victorian press, since they embodied the achievement of ‘instantaneous’ photography, executed as they were from a moving boat, and managing to ‘freeze’ the waves on the surface of the sea. They undoubtedly to this day constitute a testimony to Williams’ special photographic skills. It seems that many of the First Series were originally produced as unique daguerreotype images, but later, as demand increased copy-daguerreotypes and albumen cards were made from an original ‘master’ daguerreotype, and sold widely.
“Scenes in Our Village” is perhaps Williams’ most iconic stereoscopic series. The fifty-nine albumen prints on cards, depicting an idyllic but rapidly disappearing village life in rural England, are an absolute ‘first’, and among the finest of their kind. Each one of the views has a related poem printed on the verso. For many years, it was thought that the village nostalgically portrayed in these photographs was a fictional creation. However, recent research by ourselves revealed that all the images were taken at Hinton Waldrist , in Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire) and its surroundings. This find has added a new and unsuspected meaning to the series; it has been possible to prove the authenticity of the characters and places described in the poems and shown in the photographs, offering us an invaluable insight into a bygone era. “Scenes in Our Village” was clearly a very personal undertaking for Williams; the tone of the poems denotes an unmistakable familiarity with the subject and deep involvement with some of the described situations. From a technical point of view, the views in this series present an interesting feature: our research has shown that Williams seems to have taken the images with a vertically oriented stereo camera, by moving the camera laterally between two exposures, creating two sequential stereo pairs. ref: [http://www.brianmay.com/brian/mags&press/stereoworld/stereoworld_vol30_no1.html Stereo World: "Our Village found at last!" by Brian May]
In 1854, Williams photographed Crystal Palace, at Sydenham. These images, a series of forty-five numbered and annotated views, were published by the London Stereoscopic Company, in daguerreotype and card form. The series includes a photograph of the opening ceremony of Crystal Palace, highly praised in the journals of the day. The quality of Williams’ original daguerreotypes from this event are such that, though they contain images of hundreds of people, individual facial features of Queen Victoria and her party are clearly discernible.
T. R. Williams’ fame as a fine stereo portraitist reached the ears of the Royal Household, and on 21st November 1856, he was commissioned to photograph Princess Victoria on her sixteenth birthday. Over the coming years, more Royal portraits were taken by Williams. Curiously, the photographic session on the occasion of Princess Victoria’s wedding to Prince Frederick William of Prussia caused some trepidation in the Court; the allocated time was unexpectedly overstepped due to Queen Victoria’s request for Williams to take a few extra images, and consequently, as the papers reported the next day, the Royal Procession was "“a few minutes behind time at the chapel, a rare event in any ceremonial in which Her Majesty is concerned”". Other Williams portraits, now represented in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, included the confirmation of Princess Alice (April 21st 1859), studies of Princesses Louisa and Helena, and of Princess Victoria with her first son, Prince William.
At the end of the 1850s, as the stereoscopic craze reached its peak, Williams decided to cease producing his signature views, since he felt that they had "“become vulgarised with imitation”". He still continued producing highly covetable stereoscopic portraits for a select clientele, but now also produced the increasingly popular ‘Cartes de Visite’ and whole-plate vignetted heads and busts, albumen prints, which were highly praised in the press.
Williams was a member of the Photographic Society from its inception in 1853. In 1861, he was elected a member of the Council of the Photographic Society. He was also a member of the North London Photographic Society (1863) and of the South London Photographic Society (1864), as well as being a founding member of the Solar Club. Formed on February 12th, 1866 by a group of professionals, this social club included as its members, among others, J. E. Mayall, Wharton Simpson, H. P. Robinson and O. G. Reijlander. A regular exhibitor in photographic exhibitions in England and abroad, Williams was awarded medals at the Paris Exposition of 1855, the London International Exhibition of 1862, and by the Photographic Society of London in 1866.
T. R. Williams was a very private person; unlike many of his contemporaries and colleagues, he seemed to shun the limelight. This extreme discretion prevailed throughout his life. He earned the respect and admiration of all his colleagues, not only because of his dedication to photography and commitment to high standards, but also because of his just and moderate character. Even though his photographic output became very large in volume, it was said that no print ever left his establishment without his personal inspection and approval.
At the end of the 1860s, Williams’ health deteriorated. He took on a partner, William Mayland, to ensure the continuity of the business, and died shortly afterwards, on April 5, 1871 at his home, Sellers Hall, Finchley. His son Arthur Richard continued the partnership with Mayland for a few years, until its dissolution in 1876.
Through his work, Williams is now widely recognised as pivotal in the history of stereoscopic photography, since his stereo cards were the first examples of photographic art for its own sake ever to achieve wide commercial success.
Reference for this Biography: [http://www.londonstereo.com LondonStereo.com]
Sources:“Obituary”, Photographic News, 21 April 1871, p.183.
The Times , 8 May 1854.
Notes and Queries, No.242, 17 June 1854, p.571.
The Illustrated London News, 11 August, 1855, p.167-168.
Brian May, “New Light on T. R.Williams”, Stereo World, Vol.30, No.1, 2004. p.22-27.
Brian May and Elena Vidal, “T. R.Williams’ Scenes in Our Village”, Stereo World, Vol.31, No.4, 2006. p.14-21, 29.
The Athenaeum, No.1521, 20 December 1856.
The Times, 27 January, 1858.
Photographic Journal, 15 February 1861, p.98.
Margaret Harker, Henry Peach Robinson: Master of Photographic Art (1830-1901) , Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford 1988.
British Journal of Photography, 1 August, 1862.
Roger Taylor, Photographs Exhibited in Britain 1839-1865, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, 2002.
The Photographic News, 5 March 1880.
The London Gazette, 18 July 1876.
External sources
* [http://www.londonstereo.com LondonStereo.com]
* [http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=1698 The Getty Museum]
* [https://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp59147&role=art National Portrait Gallery - Thomas Richard Williams]
* [http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?txtkeys1=Thomas+Richard+Williams Science & Society Picture Library]
* [http://www.artfact.com/catalog/viewLot.cfm?lotCode=5VNlMvQT Artfact: Find, Price & Research Antiques & Fine Art]
* [http://www.photolondon.org.uk/daguerre/daguerre_home.htm Daguerreotypes at Guildhall]
* [http://www.brianmay.com/brian/mags&press/stereoworld/stereoworld_vol30_no1.html Stereo World: "Our Village found at last!" by Brian May]
* [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/irev/hob_52.639_av1.htm The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Timeline of Art History: British Isles, 1800-1900 A.D.]
* [http://www.zymogenous.com/1850s-PHOTO-w-CRICKET,i180199247838,c64482.html Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop: 1850s Photo w Cricket Bat & Ball Baseball daguerreotype]
References
