Cornelius Jabez Hughes (20 July 1819 – 11 August 1884) was a

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photographer,

daguerreotypist Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...

, and writer. He was one of the best known portrait photographers in Victorian England, and today his photographs are included in a number of notable museum collections including the National Portrait Gallery in London and The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Background

Cornelius Jabez Hughes was born on 20 July 1819 in St. James Parish,

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, England to David and Elizabeth Hughes. His father was a tailor and he also worked as a tailor. He married Esther Wright in June 1843, and the couple had a son Alfred on 1 October 1843. Hughes spent most of his life living in London but also lived in Glasgow and towards the end of his life moved to the town of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

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. He died on 11 August 1884 in Ryde and is buried at

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in London.

Career

Photography

After spending his early life as a tailor, Cornelius Jabez Hughes became interested in the new art of photography. Cornelius Jabez Hughes first worked as an assistant to English photographer

John Jabez Edwin Mayall John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall (17 September 1813 near Oldham, Lancashire – 6 March 1901 in Southwick, West Sussex) was an English photographer who in 1860 took the first carte-de-visite photographs of Queen Victoria. He is most well known ...

in London. After 1847 he moved to

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, Scotland, where he opened his own successful studio and became a member of the Glasgow Photographic Society. In 1855 he returned to London and bought Mayall's former studio. Hughes later moved to the Isle of Wight and built the Regina House Studio in

. His studio's location on the Isle of Wight was not far from Queen Victoria's

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in t ...

and the British royalty became frequent patrons. Hughes is most recognized for his portrait photography and having captured a number of photos of royalty and famous people during his career, which included Queen Victoria,

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, Princess Alice, Prime Minister

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, and Queen Victoria's favorite Scottish attendant

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. He also photographed the exterior and interior of Osborne House. His photos are held and displayed as part of a number of prominent collections including by the National Portrait Gallery in London, The J. Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

Writing and lecturing

Hughes wrote a number of guides and articles on photography, including a well-received practical photography guide. Hughes also gave a number of lectures on a number of scientific subjects.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Cornelius Jabez 1819 births 1884 deaths 19th-century English photographers Photographers from London