Perciful Claude Byron (September 21, 1878 – June 9, 1959) was an
English photographer at the
Byron Company
The Byron Company is a New York City photography studio in Manhattan that was founded in 1892. It is "one of New York's pre-eminent commercial photography studios" that "documented the essence of New York City life". Percy Byron, the son of the f ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
Percy was "the premier maritime photographer of his generation".
Biography
His father,
Joseph Byron, was born in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in 1847 and opened the Byron Company in Manhattan in 1892. Perciful Claude Byron was born on September 21, 1878, in England.
[ In 1935 he was the official photographer for the maiden voyage of the ]SS Normandie
SS ''Normandie'' was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Line ''Compagnie Générale Transatlantique'' (CGT). She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat, transatlantic crossing, ...
. Percy was born in 1878 in Nottingham, England
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham is the legendary home of Robin Hood and to the lace-maki ...
.[ He founded the first photoengraving plant in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada (1906-16). He returned to his father's studio in 1917, Since 1917 he specialized in maritime photography while he lived on ]Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
.[ In 1942 he closed the family studio because of ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He then went to work for the Essex Art Engraving Company of Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, until he retired in December 1958 because of his ill health.[ He died in 1959 in ]Cranford, New Jersey
Cranford is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increas ...
.
Publication
*
Archive
*22,000 photos at the Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown, in 1923Beard, Rick. "Museum of the City of New York" in to preserve and present the history ...
between 1890 and 1942.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byron, Percy Claude
1878 births
1959 deaths
Artists from Nottingham
English emigrants to the United States
Photographers from Nottinghamshire