... (contd.)
Henry Mower appears to have first worked as a photographer in the mid-1860s, when he opened a studio at London House, Belgrave Road, Torquay in Devon. He opened another studio at 27 South Street, Exeter in the late 1860s, and by April 1871 he was living there with Joseph Eden (1852-1883), who was working as an assistant in the shop. Jane Eden was still living at 6 Hall's Buildings, Belgrave Road, Tormoham, in Torquay with three children, and working as a housekeeper, while a John Waite (1831-1889) was shown as a photographer in the same lodgings. It is possible that Waite was running the Torquay studio for Henry at this time, although ten years later in 1881, he was still at this address, married and described as a "photographer & stationer". Elizabeth Eden, on the other hand, was living with another three children at 6 Clifton Road, Exeter in April 1871, and working as a general servant.
Henry Mower and Sarah Jane Eden were married at Bristol in 1875, and he appears to have opened studios in both Bath and Bristol shortly afterwards. However, he maintained the studio in Exeter until at least 1878, and possibly as late as April 1881, when Frederick Tom Parsons (1858-) is shown as a photographer at 29 South Street in the census.
The Bath studio premises appear to have been open from at least 1876 until 1884, when Henry was shown at 3 Argyle place, Grove street. However, both Henry Mower and Elizabeth Eden (1841-1895) also had several studios in Bristol from 1876 onwards. Vaughan shows Henry with premises at 8 Ruysdael Place in 1876, although Elizabeth was operating at that address under her own name in 1879. In 1880, Henry had a shop at 31 Park Street (another entrance on 3 Park Row), while Elizabeth was at 8 Triangle South, Queen's Road. The Park street premises remained open through the 1880s, and by April 1891 two of Henry's sons, Marston Mower (1865-1896) and Thomas Henry Mower (1861-) were also working as photographers, Marston probably with his father and Thomas Henry with Elizabeth Eden in premises at 9 Clare Street.
In the late 1890s, Henry's youngest son Percival "Percy" M. Mower (1876-) also became a photographer, probably taking over the busines of his elder brother Marston at 23 Clarence Road, Bristol, on the latter's death in 1896. He was shown at that address until at least 1931. In 1914 Thomas Henry's wife, Emily Mary Mower (1866-) was listed in premises at 14 Hanbury road, Clifton, Bristol, while the old family business, which had been referred to as Mower & Co. since at least 1899, and continued at these premises until 1928. It was possibly a successor to Mower, Eden & Co. which operated c. 1892 at 39 Park Street, the name Eden being dropped after the death of Elizabeth in 1895.
I have found no positive sightings of Henry Mower senior in either census records or trade directories after 1888, when he briefly had another studio at 124 Digbeth, Birmingham. However, his wife Sarah Jane was not shown as a widow in the 1891 Census, so presumably he was still alive at that time.
I am looking for any trade directory entries for Henry Mower in the period 1858 to 1878, please, to help narrow down the dates which he spent at various addresses and was working as a photographer in Exeter. Also if anyone has old family photos taken by any of the the Mower and Eden studios, I would be very grateful for scanned images, to help with dating purposes. I am compiling profiles along the same lines as the ones I have created for Derbyshire Photographers, and any contributions will be of great help. Thank you very much.
Regards and best wishes,
Brett Payne
Tauranga, New Zealand