Graystone Bird facts for kids
Owen Graystone Bird (1862 – 1943) was a talented British photographer. He worked mainly in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some people call him William instead of Owen, but everyone agrees on "Graystone Bird." It's not clear why there's confusion about his first name.
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Early Life and Family
Owen Graystone Bird was born in Frome, Somerset, England. His family was well-known for photography. They moved to Bath in the mid-1860s.
A Family of Photographers
Owen's father, Frederic Charles Bird, was also a photographer. He was a portrait painter too. Frederic even received a special honour called a Royal Warrant. This meant he was an official photographer for the Prince of Wales. This Prince later became King Edward VII.
Owen Graystone Bird also received this special honour. It's not fully clear if his patron was Edward VII or George V, or both. This shows how respected his work was.
A Talented Artist
Bird was a very skilled and respected artist. He won many photography prizes. His talent was known around the world during his lifetime.
Why His Work Is Less Known Today
After he passed away, Owen Graystone Bird became less famous. Other photographers from his time are much more well-known. There are two main reasons why his amazing work is not as famous today:
- Magic Lanterns and New Technology: Much of Bird's best work was made in the 1890s and early 1900s. He created pictures for "magic lantern" shows. These were like early slide shows. People enjoyed them in their homes and at public events. But then, moving pictures (movies!) started to become popular. This happened in the 1890s. Movies quickly took over from magic lantern shows. Also, the large glass slides used for magic lanterns became old-fashioned. Newer, smaller "film slides" (like modern transparencies) took their place.
- Lost Archives: The Bird family's photography studio was at 38, Milsom Street, Bath. It was there for 73 years. This building also held all their old photographs and records. In 1937, something bad happened to the building. The details are not clear, but it seems the building and its contents were destroyed. Owen Graystone Bird was still alive then, at 74 or 75 years old. After this event, he opened a new studio at 9, Sydney Place, Bath. This means most of his original photos and documents were lost. The few that survived were on old, fragile magic lantern slides.
Later Life and Legacy
Owen Graystone Bird died on October 17, 1943. He was 80 years old. He had a son named Charles Frederick Graystone Bird. His son also became a photographer.
Today, Owen's grandson, David Graystone Bird, works to share his ancestors' photography. A company called The Keasbury-Gordon Photograph Archive has some of Graystone Bird's photos. They also made videos about his work.
