[ Abraham Brothers
] [ Armitt Sisters
] [ Arnolds ] [
Herbert Bell ] [
J W Brunskill ] [
Collingwood Family
] [ W E Forster ] [
William Green ] [
Alfred Heaton Cooper
] [ John Kelsick ] [
Harriet Martineau
] [ Charlotte Mason
]
[ Beatrix Potter ]
[ William Payne ] [
J B Pyne ] [
Canon Rawnsley ] [
The Romans ] [
John Ruskin ] [
Kurt Schwitters ]
[ Josefina de
Vasconcellos ] [
Charles Walmsley ] [
Fred Yates ]
Herbert Bell
Herbert Bell was a native of Ambleside. His father was the local chemist and mineral water manufacturer with a shop on Lake Road. Bell was educated at Eller How and Rothay Garth Schools in Ambleside and later at Stramonsgate School in Kendal. After this he joined the family business, becoming an apprentice at his father‘s shop preparing chemicals for medicines to treat the local community. It is likely that Bell‘s first encounter with photography would have been as a developer using the materials then widely available in a chemist‘s shop. As his interest in the new art form grew, Bell decided to set up his own business, finally opening a studio in Market Square in 1894.
Bell had immediate success as a tourist photographer during the artic winter of 1894/1895. During the unusually cold spell, Lake Windermere was frozen with 18 inches of ice for seven weeks during February and March 1895. Vast numbers of tourists arrived from Manchester and Lancashire to view the seven foot snow drifts and icicles dangling more than ten feet. Bell spent the entire period outdoors photographing the tourists at the lakeside. The stunning snow scenes produced established his reputation in the growing field of photography. His status was such that he was called upon to record the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm in August 1895. Bell photographed the private visit and the rapturous reception given to the Kaiser throughout the Lake District.
Bell also distinguished himself through his serious photographic work, compiling a record of all the farms and memorial halls of Cumberland and Westmorland. This work created an important collection of sensitively produced photographs of immense value to architectural historians. Alongside this, Bell was also a perceptive social commentator, using his camera to record the real face of everyday life in Ambleside. He produced a collection of starkly realistic photographs of ordinary people from washerwomen to sheep-shearers going about their daily tasks. The work provided a dramatic and telling contrast to the romantic image of Ambleside.
In later life Bell was embraced by Lakeland society. He was a member of the Dove Cottage committee and the National Trust. The Ruskin Society convened in his studio where he would meet Canon Rawnsley, Albert Fleming and Mary Armitt for lively discussions. He was an active member in the Armitt Library from its inception and served as honorary librarian, a post he occupied until his death at the age of ninety in 1946.
Incredibly, The Museum Shop has a number of Bell's original prints for sale. They were given on the understanding that they were to be sold. They were printed in the 1890's! by Bell himself and must be one of the ultimate limited editions! They are mounted on acid-free board, ready for framing. You can purchase them from the Museum Shop. A few are shown below. More can be seen via the link on the Museum Shop page.
[ Abraham
Brothers ] [
Armitt Sisters ] [
Arnolds ] [ Herbert
Bell ] [ J W
Brunskill ] [
Collingwood Family ] [
W E Forster ] [
William Green ] [
Alfred Heaton Cooper
] [ John Kelsick ] [
Harriet Martineau
] [ Charlotte Mason
]
[ Beatrix Potter ]
[ William Payne ] [
J B Pyne ] [
Canon Rawnsley ] [
The Romans ] [
John Ruskin ] [
Kurt Schwitters ]
[ Josefina de
Vasconcellos ] [
Charles Walmsley ] [
Fred Yates ]