Brett Payne's Victorian & Edwardian
Home / Studio Index / England / Devon / Exeter / Henry Mower
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Henry Mower was born at Calne, Wiltshire in about 1831, son of a confectioner Thomas Mower and his wife Mary. He appears to have had at least nine children between 1859 and 1876, from separate liaisons with two sisters, Sarah Jane Eden (1839-1901) and Elizabeth Eden (1841-1895), from Devizes, Wiltshire. Henry eventually married Sarah Jane at Bristol in 1875.
Henry MOWER (b. c.1831 Calne WIL, son of Thomas & Mary) ?m1: Elizabeth EDEN (b. c.1841 Devizes WIL d. 1895 Bristol GLS) m2: 1875 Bristol Sarah Jane EDEN (b. c.1841 Devizes WIL d. 1900 Bristol GLS)(both were daughters of Thomas & Mary EDEN of Devizes)
|- Jane Mower EDEN (b. c.1859 Bristol GLS) m: 1877 Bristol GLS William George POOLE (b. c.1857 Bristol GLS)
|- Ernest William G. POOLE (b. 1879 Bristol GLS)
|- Frank Henry POOLE (b. c.Mar 1881 Bristol GLS)
|- Beatrice Mary POOLE (b. c.1882 Bristol GLS)
|- Frederick N. POOLE (b. c.1884 Sheffield YKS)
|- Harold Bertie POOLE (b. 1886 Sheffield YKS)
|- Kate Lilian POOLE (b. 1887 Sheffield YKS)
|- Alfred Edward POOLE (b. 1893 Sheffield YKS)
|- Ida POOLE (b. c.1897 Sheffield YKS)
|- Thomas Henry Eden MOWER (b. c.1861 Trowbridge WIL) m: Emily Mary (b. c.1866 Exeter DEV)
|- Percival "Percy" Henry S. MOWER (b. 1885 Bristol GLS) m: Harriet TALBOT
|- Graham MOWER
|- Malcolm MOWER m: Joan Lillian HOPKINSON
|- Harry MOWER
|- Ivy Emily M. MOWER (b. 1888 Bristol GLS) m: 1910 Bristol GLS ??
|- Cecil Sidney MOWER (b. 1890 Bristol GLS)
|- Ruby MOWER (b. c.1892 Bristol GLS)
|- Beatrice Emma Eden MOWER (b. c.1864 Middle Chinnock SOM)
|- Marston Eden MOWER (b. c.1865 Marston SOM d. 1896 Christchurch HAM)
|- Florence Eden MOWER (b. c.1866 Creech SOM) m: 1889 Barton Regis WIL Harry Ralph MARSHALL
|- Norman H.R. MARSHALL (b. c.1891 Bristol GLS)
|- Kate Eden MOWER (b. c.1866 Creech/West Chinnock SOM) m: 1892 Calne WIL Edwin Henry BELL (b. c.1867 d. 1897 Barton Regis)
|- Kathleen Ada BELL (b. 1893 Bristol GLS)
|- Edwin Seymour BELL (b. c.1895 Bristol GLS)
|- Bertram Eden MOWER (b. c.1868 Exeter DEV)
|- Ada Eden MOWER (b. c.1870 Exeter DEV) m: 1892 Bristol GLS William GRANT (b. c.1856 SCT)
|- William Gordon GRANT (b. c.1892 Bristol GLS)
|- Alexander GRANT (b. c.1895 Bristol GLS)
|- Morrison GRANT (b. c.1899 Bristol GLS)
|- Percival "Percy" MOWER (b. c.1876 Bath SOM m: 1899 Bath GLS Florence Mary HILL (b. c.1880 d. 1900 Bristol GLS) m2: 1902 Bath GLS ??
|- Percival Marston MOWER (b. & d. 1900 Bristol GLS)
Henry Mower appears to have first worked as a travelling photographer, appearing as a photographic artist (lodger) in Acton Turville, Gloucestershire in the April 1861 census. However, by the mid-1860s he had started a studio at London House, Belgrave Road, Torquay in Devon. He opened another studio at 27 South Street, Exeter in about 1869, and by April 1871 he was living there with his brother-in-law Joseph Eden (1852-1883), who was working as an assistant in the shop. Jane Eden was still living at 6 Hall's Buildings, Belgrave Road, Tormoham (a suburb of Torquay) with three children, and working as a housekeeper, while a John Waite (1831-1889) was shown as a photographer in the same lodgings. It seems likely that Waite was running the Torquay studio for Henry at this time, since Scott (1985) shows Mower listed there until at least 1873. It seems likely that Waite took over the Torquay studio between then and 1878, when Scott lists the premises under his name. Elizabeth Eden, on the other hand, was living with another three children at 6 Clifton Road, Exeter in April 1871, and working as a general servant.
Henry Mower and Sarah Jane Eden were married at Bristol in 1875, and he appears to have opened studios in both Bath and Bristol shortly afterwards. However, he maintained the studio in Exeter until at least 1885. In April 1881 Frederick Tom Parsons (1858-) is shown as a photographer at 29 South Street in the census, and presumably ran the studio for him. Scott (1985) lists an undated portrait which shows that the studio was at some stage named, the "Mower's Portrait Rooms," the latter being managed by W.H. Halliday (see below for further details of Halliday). Another, also undated, shows the premises at 29 South Street as, "T.H. Mower, late H. Mower, Bristol & Exeter Portrait Co."
The Bath studio premises appear to have been open from at least 1876 until 1884, when Henry was shown at 3 Argyle place, Grove street. However, both Henry Mower and Elizabeth Eden (1841-1895) also had several studios in Bristol from 1876 onwards. Vaughan shows Henry with premises at 8 Ruysdael Place in 1876, although Elizabeth was operating at that address under her own name in 1879. In 1880, Henry had a shop at 31 Park Street (another entrance on 3 Park Row), while Elizabeth was at 8 Triangle South, Queen's Road. The Park street premises remained open through the 1880s, and by April 1891 two of Henry's sons, Marston Mower (1865-1896) and Thomas Henry Mower (1861-) were also working as photographers, Marston probably with his father and Thomas Henry with Elizabeth Eden in premises at 9 Clare Street.
In the late 1890s, Henry's youngest son Percival "Percy" M. Mower (1876-) also became a photographer, probably taking over the busines of his elder brother Marston at 23 Clarence Road, Bristol, on the latter's death in 1896. He was shown at that address until at least 1931. In 1914 Thomas Henry's wife, Emily Mary Mower (1866-) was listed in premises at 14 Hanbury road, Clifton, Bristol, while the old family business, which had been referred to as Mower & Co. since at least 1899, and continued at these premises until 1928. It was possibly a successor to Mower, Eden & Co. which operated c. 1892 at 39 Park Street, the name Eden being dropped after the death of Elizabeth in 1895.
I have found no positive sightings of Henry Mower senior in census records after 1881, although directories (in Aston et al, 1987) suggest that he had another studio at 124 Digbeth, Birmingham, Warwickshire from 1886 to 1893, and a second studio at 72 Parade for the latter from 1888 to 1893. However, his wife Sarah Jane was shown as still married, rather than as a widow in the 1891 Census, so presumably he was still alive at that time.
Thomas Henry Mower's son Percy moved from Bristol to Bath. He and then his oldest son Graham Mower ran a studio in Westgate Street, which is still operating as a studio today.
W. H. Holliday - Manager of Mower's Portrait Rooms (c1870-1872)
William Henry Holliday (1846-1907) was a professional photographer from Hampshire. He was born in Portsmouth and began his working career in Southampton. He married Fanny Dibbens in Southampton in 1867 and a son Alfred was born there in the following year. By the fourth quarter of 1870, when his daughter Clara Elizabeth Holliday was born, William Holliday was living in Exeter. Two years later, in the third quarter of 1872, he had moved to Chagford in the Okehampton district of Devon.
In early 1875 Holliday was in Somerset, but by the time of the 1881 census return was back in Hampshire, where he is shown as living in Obelisk Road, Woolston, near Southampton, and is described as a "Photographic Artist". William H. Holliday later operated his own photographic studios in Winchester, in Parchment Street (1887-1895), and at 36 Jewry Street (1898-1907). William Henry Holliday died in Winchester in 1907 at the age of 61. His son Alfred William Holliday (b. 1868) was also photographer with his own studio at Alton in Hampshire (1895-1909).
If you have any further information about Henry Mower, his family, and their studios, or if you have any photographs by them, please email me. I welcome contributions of images to increase the variety of coverage on this site. If you are able to identify or have an interest in any of the subjects in the photographs shown below, I would also be very keen on hearing from you.
CARD TYPES
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| Type Ia Used mid- to late 1860s Ribbon & rope device five fonts & extra text violet ink on buff card Torquay studio |
Type Ib Used late 1860s to early 1870s Ribbon & rope device four fonts & extra text violet ink on white card 27 South Street studio |
Type II Used early to mid-1870s Simple, 3 fonts with extra text Black ink on pale grey card 27 South Street studio |
Type III Used early to mid-1870s Ribbon & rope device four fonts & extra text Violet ink on buff card 29 South Street studio |
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| Type IVa Used early to mid-1870s Ribbon & rope device with "floating corners" frame six fonts & extra text Gold ink on white card 27 South Street studio |
Type IVb Used early to mid-1870s Ribbon & rope device with "floating corners" frame six fonts & extra text Violet ink on white card 27 South Street studio |
Type V Used early 1880s Scrolls & flowers, three fonts Brown ink on buff card 29 South Street studio |
Type VI Used mid- to late 1880s Simple, ornate initial "B" with ivy seven fonts with extra text thick red border on front brown ink on buff card 31 Park Street (Bristol) studio |
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| Type VII Used late 1880s to early 1890s Dark green glossy card Blank reverse Gold embossed writing on front 8 Clare Street (Bristol) studio |
Type VIII Used 1920s & 1930s Divided back post card card stock by K Ltd 39 Park Street (Bristol) & 19a Westgate Street (Bath) studios |
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| PORTFOLIO | Contribute a Photo |
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ID #: hmower01 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, London House, Belgrave Road, Torquay Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63.5 x 104.5 mm; Photo 60 x 90 mm) Card Type: Type Ia (pale violet) - ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts & extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1866-1868 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. No marks on front. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 40s; full length standing portrait with chair and architectural backdrop. |
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ID #: hmower03 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. 1109 Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63.5 x 104 mm; Photo 60 x 91.5 mm) Card Type: Type Ib (pale violet) - ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts & extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1871-1874 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Inscribed "Lizzie Salter" on reverse Subject: Lizzie Salter, probably in her 20s or 30s; head-and-shoulders vignetted portrait. |
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ID #: hmower02 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63 x 99 mm; Photo 58 x 92 mm) Card Type: Type Ib (pale violet) - ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts & extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1869-1871 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Trimmed at bottom. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 30s; full length seated portrait with table, book and posy basket. |
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ID #: hmower11 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. 7051 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type II (black) - text only, 3 fonts with extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1869-1871 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified older woman, probably in her 40s or 50s; full length seated portrait with table and books. |
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ID #: hmower13 Source: Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63.5 x 105 mm Photo 58 x 88.5 mm) Card Type: Type II (black) - text only, 3 fonts with extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1869-1871 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified woman, probably in her late 20s or 30s; full length standing portrait with jacket and parasol in "rustic" studio setting. |
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ID #: hmower04 Source: Sellek Family Album, Collection of Marcia Penny Artist: H. Mower, of 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: - Date: Undated, probably taken c.1878 Notes: - Subject: Caroline "Carrie" Ellen Coxwell (b. 1852); full-length standing portrait with chair. |
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ID #: hmower05 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, of 29 South Street, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 64.5 x 105.5 mm; Photo 60.5 x 91.5 mm) Card Type: Type III (pale violet) - ribbon & rope device, with 3 fonts & new text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1873-1876 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s; half-length vignetted portrait with chair. |
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ID #: hmower06 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: H. Mower, of 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63.5 x 106 mm; Photo 56.5 x 90 mm) Card Type: Type IVa (gold) - ribbon & rope device, with floating corners frame, 6 fonts & extra text above and below. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1876-1879 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Single line frame around photo and inscription "H. Mower / Exeter" Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s; head-and-shoulders vignetted portrait. |
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ID #: hmower10 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: H. Mower, of 27 South Street, Exeter Negative No. 25649 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IVb (violet) - ribbon & rope device, with floating corners frame, 6 fonts & extra text above and below. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1876-1879 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Single line frame around photo and inscription "H. Mower / Exeter" Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s; full length seated portrait. |
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ID #: hmower09 Source: Collection of David Simkin Artist: Mower's Portrait Rooms (W.H. Holliday, Manager), of 29 South Street, Exeter Negative No. 42349 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type V (brown on buff) - scroll and flowers, 3 fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1880-1882 Notes: Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s; full length portrait with table and chair. |
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ID #: hmower07 Source: Collection of Roger Vaughan Artist: H. Mower, of 31 Park Street & Park Row, Bristol Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type VI (brown) - ornate initial letter, 7 fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken mid- to late 1880s Notes: Rounded corners. Thick red border, and inscription "H. Mower / 3 Park St & Park Row / Bristol" Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or early 30s; three-quarter length standing portrait in "rustic" studio setting. |
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ID #: hmower08 Source: Collection of John Godin Artist: Mower, Eden & Co., of 8 Clare Street (corner of March St), Bristol Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type VII (gold on dark green) - embossed gold lettering on dark green card, blank reverse. Date: Undated, probably taken c. 1893-1894 Notes: - Subject: Henry Ellis (1846-1910) & Rachel Ellis née Duddridge (1851-) with their eldest son John "Jack" Ellis (b. c.1893); full length family portrait. |
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ID #: hmower12 Source: Collection of Peter Ainsworth Artist: H. Mower, of 39 Park Street, Bristol & 19a Westgate Street, Bath Negative No. - Size: Post card Card Type: Type VIII (black on white) - divided back; card stock by K Ltd. Date: Undated, probably taken c. 1920s-1930s Notes: - Subject: Unidentified man, probably in his 30s or 40s; three-quarter length standing portrait with snooker cue & trophy. |
REFERENCES
Historical Directories from the University of Leicester
Indexed 1841- 1901 Census Images from Ancestry.com
1881 Census Transcript & International Genealogical Index (IGI) from the LDS Church's web site FamilySearch
Partial Transcript of the GRO Index from FreeBMD
Photographers in Devon 1842-1939 : a brief directory for photograph collectors, by C.G. Scott, 1985, The PhotoHistorian Supplement No. 101, ISSN 0957-0209
Trade Directory entries
Devonshire Trades Directory (1878-1879)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 29 South street, Exeter; and Bristol
Slater's Directory of N & S Wales etc. (1880)
- Mower, Henry, photographer, 31 Park st. & 3 Park row, Bristol
- Eden Elizabeth, photographic artist, 8 Triangle South, Queen's rd, Bristol
Post Office Bath Directory (1884-85)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 3 Argyle place, Grove street, Bath
Warwickshire Trade Directory (1888)
- Mower Henry, photographer, 124 Digbeth, Birmingham
Kelly's Directory of Bristol (1902)
- Mower & Co. photographers, 39 Park street, Bristol
- Mower Mars. V. photographer, 23 Clarence road, Bristol
Kelly's Directory of Bristol (1914)
- Mower Percival M. photographer, 23 Clarence road West st, Bristol
- Mower Mrs Emily Mary, 14 Hanbury road, Clifton, Bristol
- Mower & Co. photographers, 39 Park Street, St Augustines's Bristol
- Mower Cecil S. motor engineer, 17 & 18 Nelson street, Bristol
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Sarah Mower, Stephanie Smith, Peter Ainsworth, Leonie Cousin, John Godin, Marcia Penny, David Simkin and Roger Vaughan for kind contributions of images and information.