Henry Wharry Holder (1824 -1880)

Henry Holder was primarily an artist and paintings restorer. It is likely that he his first connection to Scarborough is in the 1850s, initially as a paintings restorer, but he continued to also operate from London and Hull. Biographies of his son the artist Edward Henry Holder suggest that he was born in Scarborough in 1847, so his father may have earlier connections to the town. Two of his paintings sold at auction in 2018, the catalogue entry suggests that in c.1850 he moved his family to Scarborough from Middleham, North Yorkshire where he was born. The Scarborough Gazette in August 1856 advertises - ‘Photography, a complete set of apparatus for the collodion process (very portable) for sale at H.W.Holder’s Music Warehouse, Harcourt Place.’ The Carte de Visite below is difficult to date but is probable from the 1860s which suggests that he continued his photographic business.

Henry’s father, Edward (1783) was born in Burlington (later Bridlington) and was also an artist and picture restorer. As a restorer he was employed by George IV and by the author and Royal Navy officer Captain Frederick Marryat. Henry’s brother John Watson Holder opened a music shop and piano dealers in Hull in 1847 which was still in business after the Second World War. His sister Betsy married John Manley, they both taught piano. Two other brothers Edwin (1809-1864) and William (1817-1887) also become picture restorers. Henry exhibited two views of the Scarborough Coast at the Royal Society of British Artists (RSBA), Suffolk Street Gallery in London in 1876. Like his father he was interested in establishing the authenticity of Shakespeare portraits and gave a lecture on the subject in Scarborough. When he died on 2 November 1880 his wife Henrietta and son Edward took over the business.

His son Edward Henry Holder (1847-1922) also ran the business before moving to southern Africa in 1905. Edward seems to have been a much more accomplished artist, exhibiting at the RSBA and the Royal Academy for many years, many of his paintings are in museum and gallery collections across the UK.