John Eastham(1821-1889)
John Eastham was born in Samlesbury, near Blackburn in 1821 the son of a weaver, Edward Eastham. He was obviously educated and by 1842 he was recorded as a book-keeper living in Blackburn. Later that year he started his own business as a coal merchant, a business which he ran for three years. By 1845 he was established as a Photographic Artist, possibly in conjunction with his brother Silas who already had a a Daguerreotype business in Preston. The brothers businesses were separate by 1848 when John began a career as itinerant photographer moving from place to place.
In 1854 he finally settled in Blackpool building the ‘Temple of Arts’. This was possibly beyond his means as he was declared bankrupt the same year. By June 1854 he had moved to Scarborough and was advertising his business at St Nicholas Cliff for the summer season. He returned the following season (there is no indication of where he went during the winter months and he may well have remained in Scarborough). At the end of the season he advertised his business for sale for the sum of £100 and his intension to move to Manchester. Scarborough seems to have been good for his business, he photographed Lords, Ladies and ‘ex-Queen’ of France, and was often congratulated in the papers for his excellent photographs of Scarborough.
He married in 1842 to Priscilla Ratcliffe who died two years later. In 1849 he married again to Elizabeth Stones. His younger brother Silas Eastham (1824->1883) was also photographer whose studio was at 217 Lord Street, Southport. His youngest brother Enos (1827-1886) assisted John in Worcester before setting up his own studio in Manchester.
Photographic Practice
Daguerreotype and Calotype
Portraiture and landscapes
Studios
41 Cannon Street, Preston, 1845
11 Avenham Road, 1845-1846 (may be Silas)
St Leger Hotel, Blackburn, 1848
Church Street, Blackpool, 1854 (may be Silas)
Manor Hall, Kirkgate, Bradford, 1849
72 High Street, Worcester, 1851
Malvern, 1851
2 Hammer Street, Taunton, 185-1853
Mr Raymond’s Tailors, Middle Street, Yeovil, 1853
‘Temple of Arts’, Church Street, Blackpool, 1854
12/13 St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, 1854-1856
26 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, 1855
Skircoat Moor, Halifax, 1861
22 St Ann’s Square, Manchester, 1855-1884
Eastham and Bassano
122 Regents Street, Westminster, 1859-1860 - Partnership with Alexander Bassano
References
Adamson, K.I.P., 1996, p1 and 5
Bayliss, A. and P., 1998, p39
De Montfort University, Photographic Exhibitions in Britain 1839-1865 - John Eastham
Heathcote, B. and P., 2002, p73-74
Luminous Lint -Photographer - John Eastham
Pritchard, M., 1994, p56
Public Collections
Royal Collections Trust