London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company

The London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company was a major Victorian-era photographic business founded in London in 1854 by George Swan Nottage and Howard John Kennard. It began under the name London Stereoscope Company and soon became associated with the rapid commercial growth of stereoscopic photography, a nineteenth-century viewing format that used paired images to create an impression of three-dimensional depth. The company’s later names reflected the widening scope of its activities: it became the London Stereoscopic Company in 1856 and adopted the name London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company in May 1859. In ordinary usage, however, it continued to be known as the London Stereoscopic Company, or LSC. The firm operated from prominent retail premises in central London. Its early base was recorded at 313 Oxford Street, while William Williams acted as an agent from 29 Moorgate Street. By 1856, the company had also established a City of London branch at 54 Cheapside. The Oxford Street premises were subsequently transferred to 108–110 Regent Street in 1866–1867, placing the business in one of London’s most visible commercial and retail districts. These locations helped connect the company with both specialist photographic customers and a broader public interested in illustrated views, portraits, travel imagery, and stereoscopic entertainment. The company’s photographic work was associated with several practitioners. William England served as its principal photographer, while Thomas Richard Williams, Edward Pocock, and Robert Howlett were among the other photographers connected with the firm. Their work forms part of the wider history of Victorian photography, when technical developments, expanding middle-class consumption, and improvements in photographic reproduction created a market for commercially distributed images. The company’s surviving material is now represented in institutional collections, including holdings connected with the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy, the University of Oregon, Getty Images, and other photographic archives. The original company was dissolved in 1922. Its historical importance nevertheless continued through surviving photographs, stereoscopic cards, catalogued collections, and institutional research. A separate business using the London Stereoscopic Company name was established in 2005 with the support of rock guitarist Brian May, who helped revive interest in stereoscopy and the company’s photographic heritage. That later venture should be distinguished from the nineteenth-century company covered by the canonical historical subject. The original London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company is therefore best understood as a defunct Victorian photographic brand whose legacy survives through archival collections and later stereoscopic revival activity.

The London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company emerged during the first major expansion of commercial photography in Victorian Britain. It was founded in London in 1854 by George Swan Nottage and Howard John Kennard. The company initially traded as the London Stereoscope Company, a name that emphasized the stereoscopic image format at the center of its early identity. In 1856, the business changed its name to the London Stereoscopic Company. In May 1859, it adopted the longer name London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company, although the shorter London Stereoscopic Company remained the name by which it was generally known. Stereoscopy used two related photographs viewed through a suitable device to produce an illusion of depth. During the nineteenth century, stereoscopic images became a popular form of visual entertainment and an important commercial application of photography. The London Stereoscopic Company operated within this market as a retailer, publisher, and photographic enterprise. Its activities connected specialist photographic practice with a large public appetite for portraits, views, travel subjects, and other scenes that could be collected or displayed. The company’s early London address was recorded at 313 Oxford Street. It also had an agent, William Williams, at 29 Moorgate Street. A branch at 54 Cheapside was recorded by 1856, giving the company a presence in the City of London as well as in the West End. The Oxford Street store later moved to 108–110 Regent Street in 1866–1867. The sequence of locations indicates the company’s continuing presence in busy commercial areas and its engagement with London’s expanding retail and cultural economy. Several photographers were associated with the firm. William England was its principal photographer. Thomas Richard Williams, Edward Pocock, and Robert Howlett were also connected with the company’s photographic work. Their association places the business within the network of professional photographers, image publishers, and retailers that helped establish photography as both a commercial service and a mass-market visual medium. The company’s surviving output is now encountered primarily through collections and archives rather than through an ongoing nineteenth-century corporate operation. The original company was dissolved in 1922. Its name and historical significance continued to appear in photographic collections held by institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy, the University of Oregon, and Getty Images. In 2005, a separate business bearing the London Stereoscopic Company name was established, with Brian May associated with its revival. This later activity renewed public attention to stereoscopic photography but does not make the original Victorian company an uninterrupted active business. The historical entity described by this article is therefore a defunct London photographic company whose principal legacy lies in its stereoscopic and photographic output, its associated practitioners, and the archival survival of its collections.

• 2005

  Name revived by a later business

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A separate business using the London Stereoscopic Company name was established, with Brian May supporting the revival.

• 1922

  Original company dissolved

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The historical London Stereoscopic Company was dissolved.

• 1866

  Oxford Street premises relocated

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company’s Oxford Street store relocated to 108–110 Regent Street during 1866–1867.

• 1859

  Photographic name added

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  In May, the company became the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company, while continuing to be commonly called the London Stereoscopic Company.

• 1856

  Name changed to London Stereoscopic Company

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the shorter London Stereoscopic Company name and was recorded as operating a branch at 54 Cheapside.

• 1854

  Company founded

  [1]London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  George Swan Nottage and Howard John Kennard founded the business in London as the London Stereoscope Company.

A prominent Victorian London photography retailer and image publisher focused on stereoscopic and photographic material for public and commercial audiences.

• Stereoscopic photography

  Stereoscopic photographs

  Paired photographic images designed to be viewed through a stereoscope and perceived as a three-dimensional scene. Stereoscopic material was the central subject of the company’s original name and commercial identity.

• Commercial photography

  Photographic views and portraits

  Commercially distributed photographic imagery associated with the company and its photographers. The surviving record identifies the firm as a photographic enterprise, although a complete product catalogue is not specified in the available reference material.

1. 1London Stereoscopic and Photographic Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2London Stereoscopic Company collection at the National Portrait Gallerynpg.org.uk
3. 3London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company collection at the Royal Academyroyalacademy.org.uk
4. 4London Stereoscopic Company collection at the University of Oregonlibrary.uoregon.edu
5. 5London Stereoscopic Company material at Getty Imagesgettyimages.com