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Pioneer Photographer Honored with Blue Plaque
29 May
Summary
- Victorian photographer William Constable may have taken first royal photo.
- His Brighton studio opened in 1841, shortly after photography's invention.
- A descendant arranged for a plaque at his former studio location.
A blue plaque is set to be unveiled in honor of William Constable, a Victorian photographer credited with creating the first royal photographic portrait. Constable established Brighton's first photographic studio in 1841, a mere two years after the invention of photography itself.
The unveiling ceremony will take place outside the building at 57 Marine Parade. This tribute was arranged by his descendant, Claire Constable, an author who has extensively researched her family's history.
Experts at the University of Brighton and the National Museum of American History acknowledge Constable's significant, yet largely untold, role in Brighton's early photographic scene. Many of his works have remained unseen for nearly two centuries.
The William Constable: Brighton Daguerreotypes Project, co-led by Professor Annebella Pollen and Shannon Perich, has identified 130 surviving photographs created between 1841 and 1861. This research is helping to piece together the story of Constable's life and studio.
