Frederick Albert Bridge or F. A. Bridge (18 December 1841 – 29 December 1917) was an English photographer, organist, singer and choirmaster.

Biography

Bridge was born in

Shadwell Shadwell is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England. It also forms part of the city's East End of London, East End. Shadwell is on the north bank of the River Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff and ...

. He maintained a professional photographer's studio at Dalston Lane, Hackney, and was a member of the Photographic Club. He served as treasurer of the South London Photographic Society in 1877 and as secretary of the London & Provincial Photographic Association in 1888. He completed a series of photographs of tunneling on the

Central London Railway The Central London Railway (CLR), also known as the Twopenny Tube, was a deep-level, underground "tube" railwayA "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a cylindrical tunnel by the use of a tunnelling shield, usually deep below g ...

in 1897. In 1874 he gave a series of lectures entitled "Gems of English Scenery and Song", accompanied by

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...

slides. He also wrote articles on photography which were published in professional journals. Besides his photography career, Bridge was successful as a conductor and singer. He worked for many years as choirmaster of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

. He also served as organist and choirmaster of

St Martin, Ludgate St Martin, Ludgate, also known as St Martin within Ludgate, is an Anglican church on Ludgate Hill in the ward of Farringdon, in the City of London. The church is of medieval origin, but the present building dates from 1677 to 1684 and was designe ...

, and conducted the St. John's Choral Society. From 1872, Bridge worked in London theater, performing principal roles in operettas by Offenbach and

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

. Bridge married organist and composer Elizabeth Stirling (1818–1895) on 16 May 1863 in

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

. After she died, he married Eliza Mary Perfect Harding (1845–1910) on 2 April 1896, who served as his photographic assistant. Bridge died in

Bognor Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...

after a fall while on holiday and was buried in

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 ...

References

1841 births 1917 deaths 19th-century British conductors (music) 19th-century English photographers 19th-century English singers Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in England Burials at Abney Park Cemetery English choral conductors English organists English male conductors (music) English male organists Musicians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets People from Shadwell Photographers from London Pioneers of photography Singers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets {{England-musician-stub