Carling & Topham Photographers, 16 King St, South Shields

[meekhcs]

Hello Everyone

I am trying to find out when the above Photographers operated in South Shields.

I believe the Photographers were originally Carling and Horlington as I found a directory entry for them in 1890 at the above address, and the photo I have I believe is dated later than that.

I have tried Durham Archives, Durham online Directories at https://le.ac.uk/ and FMP newspapers as well as google where i found them in a list of photographers at cartedevisite.co.uk but with no further info.

I have drawn a blank. Any ideas please?

[VALLMO9]

The Carling & Topham partnership was dissolved in August 1906. See notice in the London Gazette (dated 14 Aug 1906).
Locations mentioned: 38 King Street, South Shields and 89 Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne.

NOTE: Although the partnership was dissolved in 1906, RH Carling carried on the business under the name "Carling & Topham". So it's a question of when the South Shields address became (or was) 16 King Street, as per your photo.

[meekhcs]

Thanks Vallmo9

From that I have managed to work out a tenuous timeline for C&H and C&T, using FMP Newspapers.

The photographers involved are:-
William Harry Horlington
Robert Harrington Carling
Henry Willowes Topham

Carling and Horlington appear to have formed a partnership in 1887 as there are a series of adverts in the South Shields Gazette for Nov 1887. The last newspaper ref for the partnership is in April 1892.

From April 1894 they are both advertising individually. Carling remained in King Street and Horlington moved to Croft Terrace, Westhoe Rd in April 1894 and then Fowler St in April 1899, both in South Shields. Mention ceases in 1904.

Back to Carling, multiple ads for 16 King Street in 1895/6/7 and then 1st advert for Grand Studios 38 King Street appears 21 Aug 1897, he opens another studios in Stockton in Feb 1899 and continues to run both. In 1902 he advertises the King Street Studio as the Electric Light Studio as he has acquired a machine enabling flash photography.

I have found just one reference to Carling and Topham apart from The Gazette entry, and that is 13 Feb 1906 in King Street.

I have found no references for when either partnership was entered into or dissolved apart from Mo's find in The Gazette.

So following the above it would appear that the photo I have could have been taken between August 1897 as the address is Grand Studio, and c. 1906/7, as presumably having dissolved the partnership in 1906, Carling is not going to use mounting cards referring to Carling and Topham after the present batch had run out.

A couple of google references for Horlington and Carlin as photographers but nothing for Topham either in google or FMP newspapers as a photographer. Perhaps he was just a financial partner for Carling?

If anyone is able to add anything I would be grateful.

[VALLMO9]

Question for clarity: Are you simply trying to date the photo you have? Or is there someone in the photo you're trying to trace the movements of, circa 1896 to 1906? What about uploading the photo, or would you rather not?

Perhaps a Kelly's Directory for Durham may be of further help? Not sure which ones are online or held in local libraries.
Link: https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/NEDir ... /TradeDir3

I have a lovely late 19th century photo which I was desperate to date. To make a long story short: One "accidental" discovery in an adult baptism register led to a vital timeline confirmation and connection. Thus explaining why my young lady was in a particular central London photography studio (not near home) and the reason for the photo. Turns out the photography studio in question was a stone's throw from the church. It was quite a "Eureka!" moment.

It's not always the case, but sometimes a photo's date is right under our nose (with a bit of luck).

[meekhcs]

At first I was trying to date the photo to try and narrow down possibilities as the Family she obviously belonged to moved away from County Durham in the 1860s, and eventually settled in Hampshire in the 1880s. I spent all day yesterday researching and finally resolved the problem.

I remembered a 1901 census record in which one of my husband's Gt Aunts was visiting a cousin of her Mother in South Shields (aged just 5!), and I had done a rough time line for the cousin.

She is a another member of the infamous Parmiter/Blench line of whom I have written before! The Blench Family, although scattered round the UK, obviously kept in touch! If only they had left more clues!

So problem solved, thank you.

[VALLMO9]

Glad you were able to establish a date for your photo. Speaking of South Shields, I found my afore-mentioned young lady in the 1921 census -- visiting a South Shields family! A very long way from her home in Surrey. I couldn't figure out the connection...until I researched one of the middle-aged residents at the address. Turns out that lady had an adult baptism at the same London church as my relative did, just a few years later. They were "connected" via the same disability charity at the time and obviously kept in touch through the years. In fact, the South Shields lady is in a London hospital (1911 census).