Henry Taunt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Taunt
|
|
|---|---|
Henry Taunt wearing a medal of the Ancient Order of Druids
|
|
| Born | 14 May 1842 St Ebbe's, Oxford, England
|
| Died | 4 November 1922 (aged 80) Cowley Road, Oxford
|
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Known for | Photography |
| Spouse(s) | Miriam Jeffery |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society |
Henry William Taunt (1842–1922) was a famous photographer, writer, publisher, and entertainer. He lived and worked in Oxford, England.
Contents
Early Life and First Jobs
Henry Taunt was born on May 14, 1842, in St Ebbe's, Oxford. His father, Henry, was a plumber and glazier. His mother, Martha Darter, came from West Ilsley in Berkshire.
Henry first worked with his father. But he soon decided he did not want to be a plumber. When he was 11, he started working for a tailor. After that, he worked at a stationery shop. Then he worked at a bookshop and auction room. Both the tailor and the bookshop were on High Street, Oxford.
Starting in Photography
In 1856, when Henry was 14, he joined Edward Bracher's team. Bracher was the first person to run a photography business in Oxford. Henry started as a general helper. But Bracher soon saw his talent. By 1858, Henry was taking his own photographs for Bracher.
In 1863, Bracher sold his business. The new owners, Wheeler and Day, kept Henry as their photography manager. In 1868, Henry Taunt started his own photography business. He first worked from his home on George Street, Oxford. By early 1869, he was selling photos of Oxford for one shilling each. Later that year, he opened his own shop at 33, Cornmarket Street.
Growing His Business
In 1871, Henry became the official photographer for the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society. He also started holding children's parties in the Oxford Town Hall. These parties became very popular. Henry often wrote the entertainment for them. By 1874, his shows included magic lantern slides.
Henry's photography business grew too big for his small Cornmarket shop. So, in 1874, he moved to a larger place at 9–10 Broad Street, Oxford. He added two more floors to the building. He also set up a workshop for framing pictures.
Henry was a very keen cyclist. He often rode his bike to different places to take photos. In 1878, he even opened a cycle shop on New Inn Hall Street. He hired several staff members. One boy, Randolph Adams, started in 1885. He became Henry's assistant and an expert at developing photos.
In 1889, Henry moved his home and business to Canterbury House on Cowley Road, Oxford. He built special photography and printing rooms there. He loved the River Thames so much that he renamed his new home Rivera.
Exploring the River Thames
Henry Taunt's black-and-white photos often showed views of Oxford and the nearby areas. The River Thames was a very important subject in his work. He loved the river since he was a child. He often went boating on it. When he was 17, he even boated alone from Oxford to Lechlade and back.
Henry created the first small guide to the River Thames that had photographs. In the 1860s, it covered the upper part of the Thames. Over time, he added more areas to his guidebooks. In 1872, he published A New Map of the River Thames. This map was very detailed and accurate.
Henry used an old photography method called the wet collodion process. This was the best way to take photos on glass plates until the late 1870s. To take pictures, he would row his small boat to a spot. Then he would set up his dark tent, camera, and tripod. He would prepare the glass plate, take the photo, and develop it right there. He would wash the pictures in the river water. This was a very skilled and difficult process in the 1860s.
In 1893, Henry Taunt was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. This was a big honor. It recognized his amazing map-making skills and the accuracy of his New Map of the Thames. He also wrote many local guidebooks. These books were filled with his own photographs. The New York Times even said that Henry's guides to the Thames were "as essential as the boat for a successful journey."
Later Years and Legacy
In 1894, Henry had some financial problems and had to close his Broad Street shop. He moved his business to High Street, Oxford. When cheap picture postcards became popular, Henry started making his own. At first, they were black and white. Later, he added color to them.
By 1906, he worked only from his Rivera home on Cowley Road. Before the First World War, he had about a dozen staff members there. In 1908, he took a famous picture of Winston Churchill. This photo showed Churchill joining the Ancient Order of Druids at Blenheim Palace. Henry was also a member of this group.
During the war, Henry made greeting cards, calendars, and patriotic songs. One card from 1915 had a poem called Good Luck and Safe Return. It also had a space to put a photo under the words "Never Forgotten at Home."
Henry Taunt passed away in 1922, when he was 80 years old. He left his large collection of over 53,000 glass negatives (the original photo plates). Sadly, many of these negatives were destroyed. But a local historian helped save several thousand of them.
Today, Henry Taunt's photographs are very important. They show us what life and buildings were like in the past. Large collections of his work are kept by English Heritage, Oxfordshire County Council, and the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames.
Images for kids
-
Henry Taunt wearing a medal of the Ancient Order of Druids
-
1905 Taunt photograph of St Giles' Fair, Oxford. In 1907 Taunt published a booklet of the history of the fair.
-
1909 Taunt photograph of New Quad, Brasenose College, Oxford
