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

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

photographer,

daguerreotypist Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwide in 1839, th ...

, and writer. He was one of the best known portrait photographers in

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

England, and today his photographs are included in a number of notable museum collections including the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

in London and

The J. Paul Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, United States, housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. It is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthiest a ...

in Los Angeles.

Background

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

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, 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 24,096 according to the 2021 Census. Its growth as a seaside resort came after the villages of Upper Ryde and ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

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

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

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 – 6 March 1901) was an English photographer who in 1860 took the first carte-de-visite photographs of Queen Victoria. He is most well known for his 1875 portrait of Karl Marx. Born into a B ...

in London. After 1847 he moved to

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, 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 in the style ...

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,

Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia (born Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, 8 July 1830 – 6 July 1911) was the fifth daughter of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Amelia of Württemberg. Early life Alexandra's parents we ...

Prince Alemayehu '' Dejazmatch'' Alemayehu Simyen Tewodoros (also referred to as Alamayou; 23 April 1861 – 14 November 1879), was the son of Emperor Tewodros II and Empress Tiruwork Wube of Ethiopia. Biography Alemayehu's father, Emperor Tewodros II died by ...

, Princess Alice, Prime Minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

, and Queen Victoria's favorite Scottish attendant

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

. He also photographed the exterior and interior of Osborne House. His photos are held by 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 List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

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 Burials at Abney Park Cemetery