The name Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke (1877-1953) was new to me until I came across it recently on a series of 3D stereocards for sale on eBay.
Bassett-Lowke Ltd., the company he co-founded, is known to model and miniature railway enthusiasts in Britain as a by-word for quality.
As a photohistorian though, I wasn’t aware of WJ Bassett-Lowke’s photography.
(Rail Romances, Chester, 1999).
However, a dozen of his stereos, now in the Pressphotoman collection, have provided material for this mini-series of pieces about his life around 1900 as a talented young entrepreneur.
As described in Part 2, the attendance of WJ (as he was known) at the 1900 Paris Exposition introduced him to German toymakers.
In time, they became Bassett-Lowke’s long-term business partners.
WJ’s love of travel, particularly around Europe, was clearly a major influence on his life as illustrated by stereos taken during a trip to Normandy in 1904.
These dark-coloured cards edged in gold are stamped ‘Stereoscopic Photography’ on the left-hand side and ‘WJ Bassett-Lowke, Northampton’ on the right.
The first features a shot taken on board ship, perhaps crossing the English Channel en route to France.
Two further cards feature the popular Normandy tourist destinations of Mont St. Michel and Honfleur.
Both are fine examples of the stereoscopic art.
Mont St. Michel has a scaffolding structure visible to the left of frame whilst the Honfleur ‘street scene’ features a small group leant against a wall to the right of frame.
Such excursions with camera in hand provide evidence of both WJ’s sharp eye and attention to detail.
What I didn’t know before researching these pieces is that he also played a pivotal role in the creative life of the celebrated architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928).
During the First World War, Mackintosh was commissioned to re-model a modest Georgian house at 78 Derngate, Northampton that became home to Mr. Bassett-Lowke and his wife Jane.
Their front door hints at the wonders within.
(Rail Romances, Chester, 1999).
The result is the only place outside his native Scotland where Mackintosh’s mature architectural and interior style can be seen in their original setting.
You can visit 78 Derngate, which has been renovated and restored in recent years.
https://www.78derngate.org.uk/about-78-derngate
To conclude this mini-series, here are two undated stereos that give a flavour of WJ’s consummate skill as a stereographer.
One captures a group of children dancing down the street, possibly St. James in Northampton, accompanied by a barrel organ glimpsed to the extreme left of frame.
The second is a beautifully shot interior of Coutances Cathedral in Normandy (1904) with a stunning use of natural light.
Pressphotoman 
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