Rebecca Blake was a relatively unusual thing - a female Victorian professional photographer. She lived with her husband the frame maker, gilder and picture restorer Richard Blake in West Street Marlow. Theirs was the cottage far right in the photo above (modern number 86 with the bowed window). One of the rooms was presumably set up as a studio as the backs of her studio portraits only give the West Street address as her place of business. Rebecca also did street and country views. In fact a number of her town and country scenes were permanently on display in the window at West Street. You could go in and see the full collection if Mrs Blake was home. Husband Richard was quick to correct those who thought he was the photographer responsible. If you wished to view the collection when Rebecca was absent, Richard would ask you to return when she could show it herself.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has one of her photographs on display - link below. The featured photograph shows Westhorpe House, Little Marlow. This house was identified for us by Michael Eagleton who writes the Marlow Memories column in the Marlow Free Press. Thanks to Michael for that.
Rebecca was born Rebecca Clarke in Little Marlow circa 1830 to John and Rebecca Clarke and grew up in Burrough's Grove just outside Marlow.
As a young woman she worked as a seamstress before she married Richard in London in 1860. Why they married in London when both were of Marlow origin I am unable to say but it is not uncommon to do so. Nor can I say how Rebecca came to photography. (Her husband is however recorded as taking photographs of some local events in the early 1860s. He continued to do this - if Rebecca didn't get there first!)
She was already in business as a photographer the next year. After Richard's death in 1893 she took out an ad in the South Bucks Standard to say she had hired a workman to continue his business. The Maidenhead Advertiser paper extended its sympathy to Rebecca for the loss of her husband in a piece which said Richard had been an "original character" who had trained a cat of "phenomenal size" to do amazing tricks, played a host of musical instruments including a violin he had made himself and was willing to talk the ears off anyone able to listen to on the subject of Marlow history. He also kept an aquarium of native fish which he attempted to train to follow commands. He was apparently somewhat successful with his efforts in the form of performing minnow "Tommy Dodd", which he showed off with "childlike delight."
While he may have had a great memory for history he may have been less good at remembering to pay his bills as I found him summoned for failing to pay his gas rate while his landlord Mrs Sarah Davis (more on her in the near future) was obviously nervous about him and Rebecca paying rent on time.
In 1857 Sarah Davis was summoned for spitting at and hitting in the face Mrs Blake. Sarah had gone to Rebecca to remind her about some nearly due rent. Mrs Blake did not take kindly to this and a verbal confrontation followed. It was then said that Sarah launched her attack. The judge said that if she paid all the costs of the case for both sides the charge could be withdrawn (presumably with Mrs Blake's agreement). This decision isn't explained in any surviving record I have found but Sarah went with it. It implies that she was the guilty party as she had to pay both side's costs but that she was not thought likely to repeat the offence and thus need any further deterrent to be applied to her.
By the time of the 1901 census Rebecca defined herself as a picture frame maker only so it seems she decided to concentrate on that business over her photography one.
In 1903 she was elected to fill a vacancy in the Oxford Road Almshouses for widows. As well as a home she would have received a small weekly pension as an almswoman. At this point a local newspaper described her as "a much respected and deserving old lady".
She died some time after 1911, seemingly not in Marlow.
Rebecca's brother in law was minor portrait painter Giles Blake. A post on other artists in Marlow history male and female, professional and amateur is available here
More posts on women who ran businesses in Victorian or Edwardian Marlow=
Rachel Hall the West Street butcher here
Ruth North the toy dealer of West Street here
Mary Ann Parslow, famed Compleat Angler landlady here
Charlotte Sawyer the baker of West Street here
Multiple female ironmongers in the High Street here
That is just a selected few. You will find more women in business if you look on the "Specific Shops,Streets...ETC" menu option and follow the links to different premises or browse under the Pub Related option on the menu to find lots more female publicans.
To find all mentions of someone on the blog please use the Person Index, for a list only of more substantial mentions of someone try the Biographies of Individuals section on the menu. You will find more biographies of women of the almshouses there and more are to come.
Researched and written by Charlotte Day.
Sources:
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1408055/view-of-an-estate-photograph-blake-rebecca-mrs/ Link here
Kelly's Directory of Berks, Bucks and Oxon 1883 and 1885. Published by Kelly's Directory's Limited.
South Bucks Standard, 24th February 1893 and 27th February 1903. Maidenhead Advertiser 1st Feb 1893. Reading Mercury 25th July 1857. South Bucks Fred Press October 1883. Copies in the British Library archives.
1841, 51, 61, 71 and 81, 91 censuses transcribed from microfilm by me.
1901 census transcribed by Jane Pullinger from microfilm.
England Marriages database 1538- 1973 Familysearch (https://familysesrch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJ71-X6J : 13 March 2020)
©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this research for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
