From 14th January 2006, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance, is delighted to present an exhibition of photographs by the famous Penzance photographers, the Richards family.
William Richards, founder of the photographic dynasty, was born in 1835 and established himself in the photography business in the 1850s through his wife’s stepfather, William Jenkyn – the man credited with being the first maker of photographic wet plates in the west of England.
The business was handed down from father to sons, through four generations. The last of these, Eddie and Reggie Richards, were only 24 and 22 respectively when their father, Edward Richards, died in 1935. Together they continued the family business for a further forty-two years. In 1977 the doors of their studio finally closed, when Reggie reached retirement age: Eddie, being the older brother, had stayed longer so that they could both retire together.
Over a century and a quarter, the Richards family captured Penwith in all its aspects, as the constantly changing scenes in their photographs show. Subjects range from family likenesses to shipwrecks, civic events to townscapes, celebrity visits to freak weather occurrences. Beautifully composed images magic up past lives and happenings, bringing the viewer every emotion from compassion to entertainment.
The majority of the family’s negatives are now in the collection of Morrab Library and this exhibition has been curated in collaboration with their staff, using these holdings. Many of the images included in the show have not been seen publicly before, but now, after hours of painstaking reprinting, they can be enjoyed for the first time.
Many Penzance people will remember the studio at Number Two, Queen Street, and many will have their own portrait photographs taken by the men themselves, but their legacy is far greater than these individual likenesses. Through the artistry of their work, inspired by the surroundings of their home in Penwith and the rich variety of subjects, the Richards family of photographic artists have left us with a unique window on our past, which is bound to touch every visitor: truly an exhibition not to be missed.
Penlee House is a beautiful art gallery and museum, set within sub-tropical gardens, with a great café.
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