Alfred Hugh Harman facts for kids

Alfred Hugh Harman (1841 – 1913) was a very important person in the early days of photography. He was a pioneer, meaning he was one of the first to do something new and important. He also started a famous company called Ilford Limited, which made photographic materials.

Alfred Hugh Harman: A Photography Pioneer

His Early Photography Business

Harman began his photography journey in 1862 in a place called Peckham, which is in London. He used a special printing method called Calotype, invented by William Fox Talbot. This method used negatives to create positive prints. By 1864, he was already advertising large photo prints. He made these big pictures using special cameras that used sunlight or artificial light.

Building a Photography Empire

In 1879, Harman stopped working from his photography studio. He moved to Ilford village and started a new business. In the basement of his home, he began making "dry gelatine plates." These plates were a key part of photography at the time.

As his business grew, he used the ground floor of his house too. He hired two men and three boys to help him. At first, his methods were quite simple. He even used a teapot to pour his special chemical mixture onto the plates! But photography was becoming very popular. This helped his business earn enough money to build a proper factory in 1883.

This new factory was called 'Britannia Works'. In 1891, the company became public, meaning people could buy shares in it. It changed its name a few times, becoming The Britannia Works (1898) Limited in 1898. Finally, in 1900, it was renamed Ilford Limited. The local council in Ilford wasn't happy about this. They felt that even though the company was the biggest employer in the area, it shouldn't take the town's name.

Retirement and Big Decisions

Harman retired from the company in 1897 because he wasn't well. However, he returned around the time the company was renamed Ilford Limited. By then, he owned a large part of the company.

In 1902, George Eastman, who founded Kodak, suggested that Kodak and Ilford should join together. Harman liked this idea. But the directors of Ilford, which was a much smaller company, thought Kodak was trying to take them over. They convinced Harman to say no to the merger.

Family Life

Alfred Harman married a widow named Nina Knobble. She was from Dublin and had a son named George from her first marriage.

Helping His Community in Grayswood

In 1894, Harman moved to Grayswood, a village in Surrey. In 1900, he offered to pay for a new church to be built in Grayswood. The land for the church was given by Lord Derby. Harman had one condition: a new church area, called a parish, had to be created there.

In 1901, the new parish of Grayswood was formed. It was made up of parts of older parishes like Witley, Chiddingfold, Haslemere, and Thursley. The new church, called All Saints' Church, was officially opened in 1902.