Victorian Photograph Album
- Clare Humphreys Vicentini
- Jan 19, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 25, 2023
How I went about trying to identify the people in the images
Over 25 years ago my client purchased a photograph album in a charity shop, drawn to it by the beautiful images and the mention of her namesake, a young girl named Emily. Identifying the people in the images seemed like an impossible task as there were 35 images of over 40 individuals of whom only 16 names were captioned.
However, fortunately the photographs were mostly of the 'cabinet print' type which were introduced in the later 1860s. These images were usually taken in the studio of the photographer and the mounts invariably provide additional clues to dating such as the name and location of the studio, as well as the furniture and props in the frame, and the clothing and hair styles of the sitter.
In order to try and establish the identity of those people in the photographs, it was necessary to start with one of the named individuals.
I chose to start with Mr Arthur WEBSTER as he was photographed wearing what looked like ceremonial robes which could provide additional clues to his identity.
Arthur WEBSTER turned out to be a fantastic place to start, as his photo led me to discover that he had been the Mayor of Luton 1878/9 and was a prominent straw hat manufacturer in the town. When he died in 1895 a richly detailed newspaper obituary revealed "the chief mourners" to be Mr and Mrs COLE from Sleaford in Lincolnshire.
As many of the photographs in the album were taken by photographers based in Lincolnshire, this provided a great link and I used this information to investigate the COLE family.
The COLE family of Roxholm Hall, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Richard Montague COLE (1854 – 1936) and Emily Catherine Annie SMITH (1856 – 1941)
Many of the photographs in the album feature the couple who appear on the first page of the album. The photographs of this couple were consistently un-captioned but as they appeared more than other individuals it was obvious they were significant. The couple's attire is consistent with the fashions of the later 1880s and the beautiful pleats in her dress by the bustle are clearly visible in the photograph.
The woman from this image also appears later in the album seated with and small child on her lap with “Clifford 1895” handwritten under the photograph. It is likely, therefore, that the woman is the mother of Clifford. As Clifford also appears in subsequent photographs with "Emily and Henry," and Emily appears in photographs with "Arthur and Ernest", it can also be assumed that Arthur, Ernest, Henry, Emily and Clifford were siblings and, therefore, the children of the couple on the first page.
Census records provided me with the necessary material to confirm the identity of the children and by association their parents to be Richard and Emily COLE of Roxholme Hall, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
At this point in the process, I wanted to try and find some alternative photographs of the COLE family in order to confirm the identification. I posted on the Lincolnshire Family History Society Facebook page including some of the photographs and asked for anyone with information to contact me.
Sarah WILLIAMSON contacted me and told me that she lives in the now converted chapel in Roxholm, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, which was built by Richard’s father, James Montague COLE. Sarah has spent years researching the COLE family as many of them are buried in her garden. Sarah has no photographs of any members of the COLE family, only a hand drawn sketch of James Montague COLE.
James Montague COLE (1812-1888)
This sketch was taken from a local newspaper which, in 1873, described a disagreement between James, a prominent dissenter, and his neighbour, the Reverend Archdeacon Trollope, who owned land adjacent to the COLE estate.
I believe the image in the photograph album is very similar to the sketch and likely the same man. What do you think?
At this point I feel relatively confident that the album has a significant connection to the COLE family from Roxholme, Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
So what are an (albeit wealthy) agricultural family from Sleaford in Lincolnshire doing being the chief mourners at the funeral of a straw hat manufacturer from Luton? Where is the connection? I set out to create the COLE family tree and see if I could find the link.
Richard Montague COLE married Emily Catherine A. SMITH in 1886. A newspaper announcement recorded that the marriage took place at the Congregational Chapel in Stamford on 02 August. Richard, the son of James Montague COLE of Roxholm Hall, and Emily, daughter of Joseph SMITH of High Street, Stamford.
Emily Catherine Annie SMITH’s birth was registered in the district of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire in Q1 of 1856. Her mother’s maiden name was recorded as WEBSTER. I had my link! Emily's mother, also Emily, was the sister of Arthur WEBSTER.
The children of Richard and Emily COLE
Richard and Emily COLE were recorded as the parents of the following children, whose births were registered in the district of Stamford.
Arthur Montague COLE 1887
Ernest Richard COLE 1888
Henry Gibbins COLE 1890
Emily Annie COLE 1892
Joseph Clifford COLE 1893
Arthur was given the family name, Montague, like his father and grandfather. Ernest Richard was named after his father Richard. Henry’s second name, Gibbins, was the maiden name of Richard’s mother Kezia. Emily was named after her mother and Joseph Clifford, inscribed as Clifford on the photographs, was named after his maternal grandfather Joseph SMITH.
Census records followed Richard and Emily from Roxholme to Penzance in Cornwall where they spent their retirement living at “Dunedin” on Alexandra Parade, now a guest house.
The children of Richard and Emily COLE
There are many photographs of the COLE children in the photograph album taken between 1889 and 1896.
Arthur Montague COLE (1887 – 1982) and Ernest Richard COLE (1888 – 1939)
This photograph captioned 'Arthur & Ernest, 1892' shows the COLE boys aged about 4 and 5. A later mutual endeavour in agricultural engineering and machinery suggests a close working relationship into adulthood.
John DALE of the Lincolnshire Family History Society provided me with the following details regarding Arthur and Ernest.
“Cole Bros. – Road rolling, thrashing and steam ploughing Contractors.
They bought (new) Fowler ploughing engines nos. 13103 and 13104 in 1911. As a dealer Arthur M Cole bought 6 out of the ten sets of ploughing engines at Ward and Dale sale in 1939, all being sold on. One of those sets being the engines that came back to Sleaford in 2014. The Lincolnshire Engineering and Motor Works was formed in 1919 by Messrs. A. M. Cole, E. R. Cole and T. H. Skinner.”
Henry Gibbins COLE (1890 – 1955) and Joseph Clifford COLE (1893 – 1920)
The two younger boys, Henry and Clifford, headed west to Canada and records show them applying for Homesteads in the Calgary area in 1911 and 1912. It is not known how long they remained in Canada, however, Henry married in 1932 in London and settled with his wife in Seaford on the Sussex coast.
Clifford also returned to England, and while staying with his sister Emily in Sale, Cheshire, in 1920, he sadly died aged just 26. Probate records his address in Canada as Masonville, Saskatchewan, indicating that he had relocated from the Calgary area in the intervening years.
Emily Annie COLE (1892 – 1928)
Emily Annie COLE married Edward Lawrence RILEY in 1919 and the marriage was registered in the district of Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
An un-captioned photograph of a young woman, which based on her dress and hair would suggest a timeframe of the end of the war (abt. 1918), could well be that of Emily.
What do you think? Is there a resemblance?
Sadly Emily died, aged 36, on 22 July 1928 at Lynfield Nursing Home in Manchester.
Joseph SMITH (1820 – 1898) and Emily WEBSTER (1815 – 1888) were the parents of Emily Catherine Annie COLE. Joseph was a master linen draper and silk merchant in Stamford, Lincolnshire and had a shop on the high street for many years. Joseph was baptised a non-conformist and it is likely it was this community which brought the SMITHS and the COLEs together.
Emily WEBSTER, the sister of Arthur WEBSTER, married Joseph in 1848 at the age of 33, a relatively old age for a first marriage. They seemingly had only one child, their daughter, Emily.
After the death of his wife in 1888, Joseph appeared to have pursued an interest in the development of christian missionary work overseas. In the 1891 census Joseph was recorded in London working as a Clerk for the China Mission. Founded in 1865 by James Hudson TAYLOR (1832 – 1905) the Mission was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to China and the conversion of 18,000 people. James Hudson TAYLOR was described as one of the most significant europeans to visit China in the 19th century.
A photograph of James Hudson TAYLOR sourced online (below left) is seemingly identical to the image in the album. It was likely a promotional image, taken in New York City, USA, and although Joseph SMITH may have met James Hudson TAYLOR in his dealings with the mission, if not, he would certainly have admired his work. Unfortunately, this image was the only one in the album I have been able to find replicated elsewhere.
 James Hudson TAYLOR abt. 1885 |  James Hudson TAYLOR |
In total there were 13 individuals that I was unable to confidently identify and a group photograph at the end of the album proved a real mystery.
This family group photograph is a real puzzle. The only person who I am confident is represented, is James Montague COLE, seated in the centre. He died in 1888 so the picture had to be taken before then and it is likely to have been taken 1880-1882 based on the fashions. This would also make sense if his daughter Annie COLE is featured here, as she died in 1883.
I have not found a link to Islington, where the photograph was taken; the woman seated next to James does not look like his wife Kezia who was named in the album; and there are too many children to have been only James's.
The search to identify the remaining people in the album goes on, but it has been a very satisfying project getting as far as I did with little to go on at the outset.
All references are available on request. Any help identifying individuals from the album is gratefully received. A full pedigree and copy of the report is available to anyone with a link to the family. Please feel free to contact me.
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