Rye Photographers S-Z

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Professional Photographers in Rye

  Edwin Whiteman of Hastings & Rye

[ABOVE] A portrait believed to be that of  Edwin Henry Whiteman (1857-1917), a photographer who worked in the Sussex towns of Hastings and Rye between 1876 and 1917. This portrait, which has been passed down through the Whiteman Family, probably dates from around 1876, the year of Edwin's marriage to Annie Wilkinson. (See portrait on the right) [ABOVE] A portrait believed to be that of Mrs Annie Whiteman (born c1857, Woodchurch, Kent), the wife of the Sussex photographer Edwin Henry Whiteman. This portrait, which dates from the late 1880s, was one of a pair in matching frames which have been passed down through the Whiteman Family.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Courtesy of Mrs Anne Webb, the great grand-daughter of Annie and Edwin Henry Whiteman

 

Edwin Henry WHITEMAN (born 1857, Cambridge - died 1917, Rye)

Photographer active in Rye between 1890 and 1917

Edwin Henry Whiteman was born in Cambridge in 1857 [Birth registered in Cambridge during the 2nd Quarter of 1857]. Edwin Henry Whiteman was the eldest son of Jane and Edwin Whiteman senior (1834 -1876), a bookseller & stationer. Edwin's father, Edwin Whiteman senior, was born and raised in Udimore in Sussex, but sometime in the 1850s he moved to Cambridge, where, in 1856, he married Jane Fanny (Frances) Grout (born c1835 Cambridge). Mrs Jane Whiteman gave birth to two sons in Cambridge - Edwin Henry Whiteman (born 1857, Cambridge) and Albert Whiteman (born 1859, Cambridge).

By 1861, Edwin Whiteman senior had returned to Sussex and by the mid 1860s he had established a bookshop and stationery business at 52 High Street, Hastings. Edwin Whiteman's business premises was known as "The Library". After settling in Hastings, there were several more additions to the Whiteman family - William (born 1861, Hastings) and Walter Thomas (born 1863, Hastings), Jane Lydia (born 1865, Hastings), George (born 1870, Hastings), Frederick (born 1873, Hastings), and twins, Frank and Ellen Whiteman (both born in Hastings during the 1st Quarter of 1876).

The Whiteman Family - Professional Photographers in Hastings

In 1866, Godbold & Co., a firm of photographers, opened a branch establishment at Mr. Whiteman's Library, 52 High Street, Hastings. Around 1868, Edwin Whiteman senior purchased the studio at 52 High Street from Messrs. Godbold & Co.  From this date Edwin Whiteman senior operated the studio at 52 High Street, Hastings, under his own name.

On 13th October 1876, Edwin Whiteman senior died, aged 42. From this date, the Whiteman studio was run by his widow Mrs Jane Whiteman  and her three photographer sons - Edwin Henry Whiteman (born 1857, Cambridge), William Whiteman (born 1861, Hastings) and Walter Whiteman (born c1864, Hastings).

In 1876, Edwin Henry Whiteman married Annie Wilkinson (born c1857 Woodchurch, Kent ). [ Marriage registered in Hastings during the 4th Quarter of 1876 ]. In the early years of their marriage, Edwin and Annie Whiteman produced two daughters - Grace Annie (born 1876, Hastings)  and Lily (born 1879, Hastings). At the time of the 1881 census, Edwin Henry Whiteman was living with his wife and two young daughters at 7 Carlton Terrace in Egremont Place, Hastings. In the 1881 census return, Edwin Henry Whiteman is described as a "Photographer", aged 24.

By 1887, Edwin Henry Whiteman, Mrs Jane Whiteman's eldest son, had become the proprietor of his mother's studio at 52 High Street, Hastings. By this date, Edwin had fathered two more daughters - Gladys May (born 1884, Hastings) and Edith (born 1887, Hastings). By 1890, Edwin H. Whiteman had sold the studio at 52 High Street, Hastings, and, with his wife and four daughters, moved to the small historic town of Rye, 9 miles north-east of Hastings .

Edwin Henry Whiteman - Photographer in Rye

[ABOVE]  A view of Landgate, Rye, photographed around 1905. Edwin Whiteman's first photographic studio in Rye was located in the area around the Landgate, one of four fortified gateways built in the town walls in 1329. This view, looking northwards through the archway, shows the old town forge on the right. Whiteman's studio was probably located in the parade of shops situated south of the Landgate, part of which can be glimpsed through the archway of the Landgate.

Edwin Henry Whiteman moved to Rye, Sussex around 1890. Edwin Henry Whiteman established a photographic studio at Landgate in Rye. Annie Whiteman gave birth to a son in Rye during the First Quarter of 1890. The boy was named Edwin Henry Whiteman, after his father. Edwin Henry Whiteman operated the photographic studio at Landgate, Rye from 1890 to 1894, . When the 1891 census was taken, Edwin Whiteman, his wife Annie, and their five children were living at 15 Ferry Road, Rye. On the census return, Edwin Whiteman is recorded as a "Photographer", aged 34.

By 1894, Edwin Henry Whiteman had opened a new studio in Cinque Ports Street, Rye. The 1901 census records Edwin Whiteman and his family in Cinque Ports Street, Rye. On the census return, Edwin H. Whiteman is described as a "Photographer", aged 43. By this date, Edwin and Annie Whiteman's two eldest daughters were in domestic service and living away from home; Lily Whiteman was working as a housemaid in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and twenty-one year old Lily Whiteman was employed as a nurse by a family in Bexhill. There had been three more additions to the Whiteman household since the last census - a daughter name Philly Whiteman had arrived in 1892, Ernest Edward Whiteman, Edwin's second son, was born in 1895 and the birth of Ethel Whiteman, the youngest member of the family, had been registered in Rye during the 1st Quarter of 1898. Edwin Whiteman was bringing up six children at his house in Cinque Ports Street, Rye. Only fourteen year old Edith Whiteman, who was employed as a clerk by a local jeweller, was contributing to the family's finances. A decade later, five of the children were living at Edwin Whiteman's house in Cinque Ports Street, Rye. Edwin's youngest daughter Ethel Whiteman was still at school, but three of Edwin Whiteman's children were in employment; twenty-one year old Edwin Whiteman junior was earning his living as as a "fitter and turner" and Ernest Edward Whiteman was employed as a "Solicitor's Clerk".  Eighteen year old Phillie Whiteman had found work as a jeweller's engraver.

Edwin Henry Whiteman worked as a photographer in Cinque Ports Street until around 1913. The following year, Edwin Henry Whiteman moved his studio to Winchelsea Road, Rye, where he worked as a photographer until his death in 1917. Edwin Henry Whiteman died in Rye on 6th February 1917 at the age of 59. The cause of death was given as "cirrhosis of the liver".

[ABOVE] The reverse of  a carte-de-visite portrait showing the trade plate of  E. Whiteman, Photographer, 52 High Street, Hastings (c1885). As the eldest son of Mrs Jane Whiteman, the proprietor of the Whiteman studio, Edwin Henry Whiteman was the chief photographer at 52 High Street until his departure around 1890.

[ABOVE] Portrait of a Boy and Girl. Carte-de-visite by E. Whiteman, Photographer, 52 High Street, Hastings. (c1885). Edwin Henry Whiteman was running the Whiteman studio in Hastings when this photograph was taken.
[ABOVE] The trade mark "E. Whiteman Rye Sussex" which was stamped in the corner of Edwin Whiteman's cabinet photographs after he established a photographic studio in Rye.
 

Son and Daughters of Annie and Edwin Henry Whiteman of Rye

[ABOVE] Edwin Henry Whiteman (born 1890, Rye, Sussex), the eldest son of photographer Edwin Henry Whiteman (1857-1917). [ABOVE] A studio portrait of Philly Whiteman (born 1892, Rye, Sussex), a daughter of the Rye photographer Edwin Henry Whiteman (1857-1917). [ABOVE] A family snap of Ethel Whiteman (born 1898, Rye, Sussex) and two childen. Ethel Whiteman was the youngest daughter of the photographer Edwin Henry Whiteman (1857-1917).

PHOTOGRAPHS: Courtesy of Tony and Pauline Whiteman

 

The site of Edwin Whiteman's Portrait Studio in Landgate, Rye

[ABOVE]  A modern photograph, taken in 2008, of Landgate, Rye, where the photographer Edwin Whiteman had a studio between 1890 and 1894. The stone archway of the Landgate, the ancient entrance into the town of Rye can be seen at the end of the street.

 

[ABOVE] A photograph taken around 1905 showing a few of the businesses situated in Landgate, Rye, during the Edwardian period. On the left is The Tower Inn, a public house which closed around 1910. The Tower Inn was established before 1855, when Robert Dunk was the landlord. By 1866, William Henry Mills was the licensee of The Tower Inn. Thomas Valentine Dale was the innkeeper at the The Tower Inn between 1878 and 1881. When this photograph was taken, The Tower Inn was occupied by James Taylor. The building to the right of the Tower Inn housed the shop of the Art Pottery Galleries and the business premises of  Frederick James, a baker who opened a shop in Landgate around 1904. The stonework of the Landgate archway can be glimpsed on the right-hand edge of this photograph.
Landgate, Rye (also known as King Street)
[ABOVE] A view of the shops in the Landgate area, photographed in 1914. The Landgate, a stone gateway built in Rye in 1329, can be seen at the end of the street. This road, which approached the Landgate from the north, was known as King Street in the period 1858-1890. Around the time that Edwin Whiteman arrived in Rye in 1890, the name of the street reverted back to the old name of Landgate. On the left of the picture is the business premises of E Bryan & Co., Cycle and Motor Car Engineers. The founder of the firm was Edward Bryan (born c1853, Wolverhampton), a cycle maker who established a cycle store in Landgate around 1890. By the time this photograph was taken in 1914, Bryan & Co. had opened a garage in Fishmarket Road, Rye.
 

Cabinet Portraits by Edwin Whiteman of Rye

[ABOVE] A family group portrait of a father with his two grown-up children, photographed by Edwin Henry Whiteman at his Rye studio (c1900). The young woman in this studio portrait was photographed years later by Edwin Whiteman, but this time the portrait was taken "out of doors" on location. (See cabinet portrait on the right).

[ABOVE] A cabinet portrait of a young woman, photographed on location by Edwin Whiteman of Rye (c1907). This young lady was photographed a few years earlier by Edwin Whiteman in a studio setting, when she posed for a family portrait with her father and brother. (See the family group portrait on the left).

[ABOVE] A cabinet portrait of a young man, photographed by Edwin Whiteman of Rye (c1900). As with the other cabinet cards in this row of portraits, the photograph has been blind-stamped in the bottom right-hand corner with the photographer's credit "E. Whiteman, Rye, Sussex". Other portraits taken by Whiteman carry the words "Cinque Ports Studio Rye".

Photographs on Location,

[ABOVE] A group of men photographed by Edwin Whiteman at the Fishmarket, Rye in the late 1890s. The Fishmarket area of Rye was populated by fishermen, ironworkers, sail-makers, shipbuilders and bargemen.
 

Portraits by Edwin Whiteman of Cinque Ports Street, Rye

[ABOVE] Portrait of a youth wearing a cap, a carte-de-visite photograph by Edwin Whiteman, Cinque Ports Studio, Rye. (c1903). The sitter is identified on the reverse of the mount as "William Ransom" and is probably William Edward Ransom (born 1890, Hollington, Sussex), the son of Alma and Henry Ransom, a carpenter and joiner.

[RIGHT] Vignette portrait of a woman, a cabinet photograph by Edwin Whiteman, Cinque Ports Studio, Rye (c1895)
 

Cinque Ports Street, Rye

[RIGHT] A view of Cinque Ports Street, Rye, photographed by Arthur Henry Homewood around 1905. Edwin Whiteman opened a photographic studio in Cinque Ports Street around 1895 and was based in this street for the next twenty years.

On the right of this picture of Cinque Ports Street is the shop of  Mrs Emma Eliza Stocks (born 1846, Rye), confectioner and tobacconist. Mrs Stocks also ran a tea room on the same premises and a painted sign proclaiming "Teas & Light Refreshments" can be seen beneath the shop window. Mrs Stocks established her business in Cinque Ports Street after her husband Felix Stocks, a Rye carpenter, died in 1897. Next door to Mrs Stocks' shop is the King's Arms Inn, a licensed public house which was run by Moses Hoad (born c1853, Hurstmonceux) from about 1899 until the inn closed around 1910.

At the junction with Ferry Road, opposite the King's Arms Inn, is the business premises of  Longley the grocer. Isaac Longley (1844-1899) established a grocer's shop at No 1 Ferry Road around 1866. After his death in 1899, the grocery business at the junction with Cinque Ports Street was operated by his widow Mrs Elizabeth Ann Longley (born c1842 Ashford). By 1905, the business was managed by Elizabeth's sons - Frank Longley (born 1872, Rye) and Charles Longley (born 1877, Rye) under the name of Longley Brothers.
 

[ABOVE] Edwin Whiteman listed as a professional photographer at Cinque Ports Street, Rye in the 1905 edition of Kelly's Directory of Sussex.

[ABOVE] Cinque Ports Street, Rye, photographed by A. H. Homewood* around 1905. On the right of this picture of Cinque Ports Street is the shop of  Mrs Emma Eliza Stocks, confectioner and tobacconist. Mrs Stocks also ran a tea room on the same premises and a painted sign proclaiming "Teas & Light Refreshments" can be seen beneath the shop window. Next door to Mrs Stocks' shop is the "King's Arms" Inn, a licensed public house which was run by Moses Hoad  from about 1899 until the inn closed around 1910. On the left of the picture, at the junction with Ferry Road,  is the grocery business of  Longley Brothers. The partnership between the two brothers ended when Frank Longley died in 1908 at the age of 36.

 

 

 * I am grateful to Frank Palmer for identifying the photograph as the work of  A. H. Homewood of Burgess Hill and locating Longley's grocery at the junction of Ferry Road and Cinque Ports Street.
 

Family Group Photograph by Edwin Whiteman of Rye

[ABOVE] A group portrait of a large family, photographed by Edwin Whiteman of Rye (c1900). This photograph was found in a collection of family photographs from Peasmarsh, Sussex.
[ABOVE, RIGHT] The family group portrait by Edwin Whiteman of Rye as it appears on the card mount. Edwin Whiteman's trade mark which appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the card mount.
[BELOW, RIGHT] An enlarged detail from the border of the family group portrait by Edwin Whiteman of Rye. The photographer's trade mark, which reads "Whiteman Rye Sussex" appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the card mount of the family group portrait shown above.

 Family group portrait by Edwin Whiteman of Rye (c1900).

 Edwin Whiteman's trade mark, which reads "Whiteman Rye Sussex"

 

 Views and Picture Postcards by Edwin Whiteman of Rye

[ABOVE] Photograph of Ellen Terry's cottage in Winchelsea, a picture postcard by Edwin Whiteman of Rye (c1910). The famous actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928) lived at Tower Cottage, Winchelsea,  for 10 years, from 1896 until 1906.
 

[ABOVE] The photographer's blind-stamp which appears on the bottom right-hand corner of the above picture postcard by Edwin Whiteman of Rye. The blind-stamp reads "E. Whiteman, Rye" (1910)
Edwin Whiteman produced a large number of picture postcards featuring Rye subjects between 1905 and 1917. Whiteman published picture postcards depicting picturesque views of Rye and the surrounding area (see the Whiteman postcard of Winchelsea, above) and recording important events in Rye, such as the Memorial Service to King Edward VII held in St Mary's Church, Rye in 1910 (see the two Whiteman picture postcards on the right).

[ABOVE] Two picture postcards by Edwin Whiteman of Rye, which record the Memorial Service to King Edward VII held in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin in 1910. The photographs shows members of the Rye Fire Brigade (top) and the Rye Postal Staff (bottom) entering St Mary's Church.
 
A further selection of picture postcards produced by Edwin Henry Whiteman of Rye, together with an account of the photographer's life and career, can be viewed at Rendel Williams' Sussex Postcards Info website by clicking on the link below:

Picture Postcard Views by Edwin Whiteman of Rye

 

Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity published by Albert Whiteman of The Library, Rye

[ABOVE] The front cover of a board-covered booklet entitled "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" published by Albert Whiteman of The Library, High Street, Rye (1897). The booklet contains 24 "phototype" views of Rye and the surrounding villages of Winchelsea, Peasmarsh, Iden, Playden and Camber.

From his bookshop in High Street, Rye, Albert Whiteman supplied a "large assortment of photographic views of Rye and Winchelsea by Poulton (Samuel Poulton), Frith (Francis Frith)". It is likely that Albert Whiteman also published photographic views of Rye and Winchelsea taken by his nephew, Edwin Henry Whiteman (1857-1917), who was Rye's leading photographer during the 1890s.

Albert Whiteman (born 1842, Winchelsea, Sussex) was the uncle of Edwin Henry Whiteman, the well-known Rye photographer. Albert Whiteman was the youngest son of Sarah Burgess and William Whiteman, an agricultural labourer of Udimore, Sussex. Albert Whiteman had two siblings - Sarah Whiteman (born c1837, Udimore, Sussex) and Edwin Whiteman (born c1834, Udimore, Sussex). Albert's older brother Edwin Whiteman (1834-1876 ) became a bookseller and stationer, operating bookshops in Cambridge and Hastings. Albert Whiteman was to pursue a career as a printer, stationer and bookseller.

In 1866, in the town of Rye, Albert Whiteman married Ellen Susannah Bones (born 1846, Deal, Kent). When the census was taken on 3rd April 1881, Albert and Ellen Whiteman were living at 10 Cornwallis Gardens, Hastings. On the census return, Albert Whiteman is described as a "Printer - Stationer", aged 38.

By 1890, Albert Whiteman was working as a stationer and printer in Rye. The 1890 edition of Kelly's Directory of Sussex records Albert Whiteman as a "Stationer, printer and stamp distributor" and "Insurance Agent" based in High Street, Rye. The 1891 census recorded Albert Whiteman as a "Bookseller and Stationer" at 26 High Street, Rye. During the 1890s, Albert Whiteman published a series of photographic views of the town of Rye and the surrounding villages of  Winchelsea, Peasmarsh, Iden, Playden and Camber.

When the 1901 census was taken, Albert Whiteman gave his sole profession as "Insurance Agent". Towards the end of 1906, Albert Whiteman married for a second time. Albert Whiteman's second wife was Mary Ann Hunt (born c1856, Robertsbridge, Sussex), a former housekeeper. When the 1911 census was taken, Albert Whiteman was still working as an insurance agent and was living with his second wife at 5 West Street, Rye. Albert Whiteman died in Hastings in 1916 at the age of 64.

[ABOVE] An advertisement for Albert Whiteman, "Bookseller, Stationer & Steam Printer" of The Library, High Street, Rye, which appears on the inside cover of "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" published by Albert Whiteman around 1897. [ABOVE] A view of the town of Rye, the first of  24 "phototype" pictures published under the title "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" by Albert Whiteman of The Library, High Street, Rye. The page is inscribed in ink "July 1897".

[ABOVE] A view of West Street, Rye, one of a set of 24 "phototype" pictures  published  by Albert Whiteman of The Library, High Street, Rye, under the title "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" (1897). [ABOVE] A view of High Street, Rye, one of a set of 24 "phototype" pictures  published  by Albert Whiteman of The Library, High Street, Rye,  under the title "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" (1897).

The booklet "Photographic Views of Rye and Vicinity" was kindly provided by Carolyn Storey

 

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to various members of the Whiteman Family for supplying family photographs and additional information about Annie and Edwin Henry Whiteman's children. Thanks to Pauline Whiteman, Tony Whiteman and Mrs Anne Webb (the grand-daughter of Ethel Whiteman, Edwin Henry Whiteman's youngest daughter). A special thank you to Mrs Pauline Whiteman (the wife of Tony Whiteman), who has generously shared everything she has discovered about Edwin Henry Whiteman's children during her family history research. Pauline has also made available to me the family photographs which are related to the Whiteman Family of Rye. Pauline's husband is descended from Edith Whiteman (born 1887, Hastings), one of the daughters of the Sussex photographer Edwin Henry Whiteman.

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