William Edmund Image FRCS DL JP (18 May 1807 – 26 September 1903)"William Edmund Image: An appreciation." in ''The London Philatelist'', Vol. XII, November 1903, No. 143, pp. 260-263. was an English surgeon and early

philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

Early life

Image was born in Norwich, the younger son of the Rev.

Thomas Image Thomas Image (1772–1856) was a geologist and collector of fossil specimens. Image, born in 1772, was son of John Image, vicar of Peterborough, and rector of Elton, Northamptonshire. He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and gradu ...

, Rector and Patron of Whepstead, Suffolk and a notable geologist.

Medicine

He took his medical degree in France where he lived in the house of the French surgeon M. Dupuytren. On returning to England he started work as a General Practitioner in Bury St. Edmunds, eventually becoming an acknowledged expert in forensic medicine and poisoning cases.

Philately

Image began collecting in 1859 and built a very strong collection which he sold to

Thomas Tapling Thomas Keay Tapling (30 October 1855 – 11 April 1891) was an English businessman and politician. He played first-class cricket and was also an eminent philatelist who formed one of the greatest stamp collections of his era. Early life Taplin ...

in 1882 for £3000. Image's collection was more complete than Tapling's, who at first intended to sell his own collection, but who in the end decided to retain both.Who Was Who in British Philately

Association of British Philatelic Societies The Association of British Philatelic Societies, commonly known as the ''ABPS'', is the British national association of philatelic societies, regional philatelic federations, and specialist philatelic societies.Tapling Collection The Tapling Collection of postage stamps was donated to the British Museum from the estate of Thomas Tapling in 1891. The probate value of the Tapling collection was set at £12,000 but on arrival Richard Garnett (assistant keeper of Printed Book ...

now forms part of the

British Library Philatelic Collections The British Library Philatelic Collections is the national philatelic collection of the United Kingdom with over 8 million items from around the world. It was established in 1891 as part of the British Museum Library, later to become the B ...

. In 1886, Image donated a collection of

philatelic literature Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history. Background to philatelic literature Philatelic literature is held by stamp collectors and dealers, philatelic soci ...

to ''The Philatelic Society, London'', now The Royal Philatelic Society, London which was one of the cornerstones of that organisation's library. He had joined the society on 10 April 1869.

Later life

In retirement he became a Justice of the Peace. In 1887 he served as

High Sheriff of Suffolk This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county a ...

. He resided at Herringswell House, near Mildenhall, where he died in 1903, aged 96 years. His first wife was Desirée Catherine D'Enville, whom he married in Paris in 1830. Following her death he married Fanny Eliza Mure, daughter of Wright Thomas Squire and widow of George Mure, who also pre-deceased him. He had three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Image, William 1807 births 1903 deaths Medical doctors from Norwich 19th-century English medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons British philatelists High Sheriffs of Suffolk English surgeons