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There is presently some doubt over whether this John Hart is the correct person, as a 1901 census record
has been found for a Jane Hart (his wife's name) at 181 City Road as a widow.
We do not know as much about John A Hart as we would like. He is someone we believe to be associated with our
family tree but as yet we are somewhat short on evidence.
We know that he was the guardian of Dorothy Grace Sheffield (b.1895) until she reached the age of 16.
The stories that have been passed down state that he was related to the family although this has not been
proven; he is referred to as the ‘Jewish uncle’. It is also possible that he was a widower when he took in Dorothy Grace
and that he then remarried and had children of his own before she reached 16.
I have found 1881 and 1891 census records for him which have him married to a Jane Victoria and
living at their studio at 179-181 City Road, Saint Luke, London, England. I have not yet been able to find any
other census records.
Occupation
From the Directory of London Photographers 1841-1908 compiled by Michael Pritchard
http://www.photolondon.org.uk/directory.htm we know
that he was a photographer with studios at 179 City Road E.C from 1886-1898 and at 181 City Road E.C from
1889-1905. We also know that he had a studio at 275 Leytonstone Road, Leytonstone. This is backed up by the
census records that I have found and by the photos that have been found.
Some examples of his photography
These three photos of St Johns Ambulancemen are being shown courtesy of Edward Garcia
www.soldiersofthequeen.com.
Some notes from the Soldiers of the Queen web site on the first two:
“Both men are outfitted in foreign service order and were probably preparing to ship out to South Africa
during the Boer War.
An interesting thing about these two images is that they were purchased from two different sellers at separate times
and yet appear to have been taken at the same time. It even looks quite probable that these two men may have had
their respective photos taken during the same photographic session.”
Some notes from the Soldiers of the Queen web site on the third:
“Another St. John's Ambulance Man by John Hart. This one differs from the previous two only in the painted backdrop
that was selected for the backgound. The same prop table and chair are used and this Ambulanceman - named on the
reverse as Tom Rowen - stand is a very similar pose as the two previous men.
One wonders if John Hart was something akin to an official photographer to the St. John's Ambulance Birgade.”
These two pictures are being shown with the kind permission of the
Roger Vaughan Picture Library.
They are of a Lady c.1899.
Article detail: first published on 23 June 2006; last modified on 23 June 2006; written by Heidi Welch
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