STONE, John Benjamin

b. 1836; d. 1914

Born in Birmingham, Sir Benjamin Stone was M.P. for the city, and a scholar with wide interests. He became a documentary worker, who photographed an enormous variety of subjects, travelled widely, and wrote several books. He is remembered for his many photographs of everyday life in Victorian England.

In 1895 Stone founded the National Photographic Record Association.

A correspondent to Amateur Photographer (May 22, 1902) wrote:

“I attended the Knutsford May Day Festival on the 1st May and succeeded in obtaining a few snapshots of Sir Benjamin Stone, who was busily at work securing records of that ancient festival. I enclose the photographs, which may be interesting to your readers. In a brief conversation with Sir Benjamin he expressed the opinion that record photography had a great future before it, and would be more and more appreciated as time went on.

His heart and soul is in his work, and it was a pleasure to observe with what manifest enthusiasm he made his exposures.”

His prophecy was fulfilled recently when some of his pictures of Windsor Castle proved of considerable value in the wake of a fire which damaged part of the castle. His pictures included state and private apartments, the royal chapel and the library, and English Heritage used these as a reference, to help restore the building and furniture.

Some of his many pictures (he left over thirty thousand negatives) are in the British Museum, others in the Birmingham Public Library.

For further reading, an excellent book is CUSTOMS & FACES
photographs by Sir Benjamin Stone 1938-1914
by Bill Jay

See also http://www.pijiu.co.uk/photos/benjaminstone/benjaminstone.htm