
Sir John Benjamin Stone (9 February 1838 – 2 July 1914) was a British
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
and photographer.
Life and career
Stone was born in Duddeston,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
the son of a manager at a local glass works. The business passed into the hands of Stone, his father and a partner in 1860. It was later sold. By this time Stone had become a successful paper manufacturer.
Stone married Jane Parker (1 November 1848 – 6 July 1914) on 5 June 1867. Jane Parker was the daughter of Peter Parker, Esquire of Lothersdale, Yorkshire.
Stone was a local Conservative politician, founder of the Birmingham Conservative Association and
MP for
Birmingham East from 1895 to 1909. He was a member of the
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield ( ), is a town and civil parish in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south of L ...
Corporation for many years and was the first Mayor of the town in 1886 when the new
Municipal Corporation
Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...
was created; a post he held for four years. He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1892 and was appointed
High Steward of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield
The High Steward of Sutton Coldfield was an office relating to the government of the town of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England.
History
Prior to the Royal Charter of 1528 Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley held the office of High S ...
in 1902.
He was also a prolific amateur
documentary photographer
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional ph ...
who travelled widely in pursuit of his hobby. He made 26,000 photographs and wrote books as he travelled to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Amongst his published works were ''A Tour with Cook through Spain'' (1873), ''Children of Norway'' (1882), and a fairy tale called ''The Traveller's Joy''. He also made an invaluable record of the folk customs and traditions of the British Isles, which influenced later photographers of note, including
Homer Sykes
Homer Warwick Sykes (born January 1949) is a Canadian-born British documentary photographer whose career has included personal projects and landscape photography.
Early life and education
Sykes's father, also named Homer Warwick Sykes, was a Cana ...
,
Daniel Meadows
Daniel Meadows (born 1952) is an English photographer turned maker of digital stories, and a teacher of photography turned teacher of participatory media.
Life and career as photographer
Meadows was born in Great Washbourne, Gloucestershire, " ...
,
Anna Fox and
Tony Ray-Jones
Tony Ray-Jones (7 June 1941 – 13 March 1972) was an English photographer.
Life
Born Holroyd Anthony Ray-Jones in Wells, Somerset, he was the youngest son of Raymond Ray-Jones (1886–1942), a painter and etcher who died when Tony was only ...
. Stone wrote of his purpose as being "to portray for the benefit of future generations the manners and customs, the festivals and pageants, the historic places and places of our times."
Stone travelled with a scientific expedition to northern
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
to see the
1893 total solar eclipse. Notable images taken by Stone include those of the deposition of governor José Clarindo de Queirós of the then province of
Ceará
Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...
in Brazil, in which he prevented the rebels from firing at the governor's palace until he had taken photographs of them beside their guns.
The Benjamin Stone Photographic Collection housed in the
Library of Birmingham
The Library of Birmingham is a public library in Birmingham, England. It is situated on the west side of the city centre at Centenary Square, beside the Birmingham Rep (to which it connects, and with which it shares some facilities) and Baske ...
contains many thousands of examples of his work. In 1897 he founded the National Photographic Record Association, of which he became president. 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
...
holds 62 of his portraits and many photographs of people and places in and around
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, ...
. His amateur career culminated in 1911 with his appointment as official photographer to the
coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.
He became president of the Birmingham Photographic Society, a
Justice of the Peace, and a member of the
Society of Antiquaries and of the
Geological Society
The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows.
Fe ...
. He was admitted as an honorary member of the
Clothworkers' Company in February 1902.
Stone died at his home, The Grange in
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
, on 2 July 1914. His wife, Jane, of nearly fifty years died on 5 July, just three days later. They were buried together in a double funeral in Sutton Coldfield on 7 July 1914. A rotund, bewhiskered man, Stone has been described by his biographer as quietly self-assured and contented in temperament. (Stephen Roberts, 'Sir Benjamin Stone 1838-1914: Photographer, Traveller and Politician' (2014).
Stone's photography was juxtaposed to that of later Birmingham photographers in the 1993 exhibition ''
From Negative Stereotype to Positive Image''.
References
Further reading
* Stephen Roberts 'Sir Benjamin Stone 1838-1914: Photographer, Traveller and Politician' (2014)
* Elizabeth Edwards, Peter James and Martin Barnes. ''A Record of England: Sir Benjamin Stone and the National Photographic Record Association 1897-1910''. Stockport: Dewi Lewis in association with V&A Publications, 2006.
* Colin Ford. ''Sir Benjamin Stone, 1838-1914 & the National Photographic Record Association''. London: National Portrait Gallery, 1974.
* Bill Jay. ''Customs and Faces: Photographs of Sir Benjamin Stone''. London: Academy Editions, 1972.
* Douglas V. Jones. ''The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield: a Commemorative History''. Sutton Coldfield: Westwood Press, 1994.
* ''Sir Benjamin Stone's Pictures, Volume 1: Festivals, Ceremonies and Customs''. 1906, re-issued 1951.
External links
Sir Benjamin Stone on the UK Parliament websiteThe Stone Photograph Collection at the Parliamentary Archives*
*
Birmingham City Council Benjamin Stone CollectionParliamentary Archives, Benjamin Stone: Photographs*
Works held by the Victoria and Albert Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, John Benjamin
19th-century English photographers
1838 births
1914 deaths
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Knights Bachelor
Photographers from Birmingham, West Midlands
UK MPs 1895–1900
UK MPs 1900–1906
UK MPs 1906–1910