The later favourite photographer of the British royal family was born in King Street of all places. But not in London, but in South Shields! William Downey saw the light of day in 1829, about ten years before commercial photography in the form of the daguerreotype began its triumphant advance. Initially he worked as a carpenter and boat builder before opening a photo studio with his brother Daniel in 1855. Both prospered and opened branches in Blyth, Morpeth and Newcastle. Their first commission from Queen Victoria was to document a mining disaster in Northumberland, the Hartley Colliery Disaster.
In 1863, the breakthrough came: William Downey opened a studio in the Houses of Parliament to portray all current members of parliament. Soon afterwards he photographed members of the Royal Family at Balmoral Castle and Frogmore House near Windsor Castle. In 1865 he made a portrait of the beautiful Princess of Wales. Iconic was his photograph of the later Queen and wife of King Edward VII with the little Princess Louise piggybacking. As a respected photographer, William now moved his photo studio to the heart of the city, the City of Westminster. He was awarded a "Royal Warranty" and was thus appointed Royal Purveyor to the Court. Accordingly, the portrait commissions of the rich and beautiful of the country increased. Meanwhile, his brother Daniel was far less conspicuous in his management of the Newcastle branch. The decisive factor was the W. & D. Downey brand, which had now acquired a special sound all over the country.
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The names of the celebrities portrayed by William and Daniel Downey are legion: members of the high nobility posed or sat in front of the unwieldy camera with its wooden housing and massive tripod. One thinks of the Duchess of Leinster or Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and the Prince of Wales had himself effectively photographed as a patron of the arts. The Royal Family presented themselves with their blue-blooded guests from the Russian Tsarist Empire and the Belgian King Albert was also convinced by the Downeys' skills. Perfect, advantageous illumination, great sharpness and special expressiveness in the faces of the portrayed were guaranteed. The world of the arts and theatre was also a welcome guest in the studios: the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt in splendid robes was just as much a rendezvous as the bohemian, bon vivant and celebrated writer Oscar Wilde. Some of the photographic prints were lavishly colored, so that the impression of glamour and glamour became almost overwhelming. Since the 1880s, the dry plate development process made it much easier to produce commercial photographs. In 1911, the Downeys were allowed to shoot the official coronation portrait of King George V and Queen Mary once again. Then roll film and easier-to-use cameras like the Box Brownie gradually ended the monopoly of exquisite photo studios. William Downey died in 1915.
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.jpg "Thomas Henry Huxley, British Biologist by William and Daniel Downey")
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.jpg "Madame Nordica by William and Daniel Downey")
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.jpg "George Jacob Holyoake, English secularist, 1893 by William and Daniel Downey")
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.jpg "Russian and British Royal Families at Balmoral, Scotland, 29th September 1896 by William and Daniel Downey")
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.jpg "The Prince of Wales and his brothers at the wedding of the Duke of York, 6th July 1893 by William and Daniel Downey")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-95457).jpg "Portrait Photograph of Edward VII by William and Daniel Downey")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-52827).jpg "Oscar Wilde, 1889 by William and Daniel Downey")
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.jpg "Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught by William and Daniel Downey")
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