Of Bricks & Light: Details and Glimpses

John Reed Edis (England, 1860-1942): A Glimpse of Durham Cathedral. Platinum print, 4″ x 5-3/4″, circa 1915.  

 

John Reed Edis was one of the first students to train as a photographer at Quintin Hogg’s newly founded Polytechnic in London. In the 1890’s he set up business in Durham, becoming official photographer to the Dean and Chapter, the University and its colleges, and Durham School. He also established a reputation as a landscape photographer.After his death in 1942, the firm was carried on until 1964 by his daughter Daisy Edis, Mrs Spence, who had joined him in the business in 1901 and who became a specialist in portrait photography.

Approximately 1,840 negatives from the Edis firm, nearly all on glass, are in Durham University Library’s Archives and Special Collections, the source of this information.