Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Bermingham Photography Since 1851

My brother Colin is a portrait photographer in the Liverpool, England area.  A few years ago, he received this letter from a client:  


Along with the letter, was the carte de visite picture below.  This was a very popular tradition in the last century where people had "card-o-mania," exchanging these 6 x 4 pictures amongst their friends.  On the front of the photograph is P. Bermingham Liverpool, on the back is the address and, obviously, no phone number, but the caption "copies may be had at any time."  The address 149 Dale Street was actually on my beat as a police officer when I was in the Liverpool City Police.  I did some research in the Kelly's Directory in Liverpool, which listed all the businesses, and established that there was a portrait photographer by the name of Peter Bermingham, who had a studio at 151 Dale Street.  There was also  a listing for a Peter Bermingham, who worked for the Victoria Portrait Studio at 19 Whitechapel, which is only a few streets away, also on my beat as a police officer.  I visited the sites, and these numbers no longer existed.  Lastly, I also discovered that he was born in 1851, exactly 100 years before I was born!  If anyone has any information in the ancestry about this chap, and I can establish some kind of relationship, I would rather amusingly like to claim in my literature to be "Bermingham Photography since 1851."


This logo for Peter Bermingham's photography business was on the back of the carte de visite.  



I used his logo in my marketing design for a number of years.  Here is an example of it on my display at Tyson's Galleria around 10 years ago:  




1 comment:

  1. I have a picture of my husbands great great great grandfather as an officer I’m guessing from around 1850+
    Similar to your photograph
    The back also says P. Birmingham but it’s
    151 Dale Street Liverpool
    Not sure how to send you a copy

    ReplyDelete