Walter Boughton & Sons

Boughton and Sons was one of the better photography studios in Lowestoft and had a working life of about 70 years. They operated severals studios on and off in East Anglia (Bury St. Edmonds, Great Yarmouth, Thetford and Lowestoft), but the Lowestoft studio seems to have been in operation during their entire tenure. Unlike the Jenkin's family, the Boughtons didn't seem to work under their own names and I don't have any indication that one or the other took any particular photo.

Boughtons had two types of photographic businesses- studio photography and post cards. The Lowestoft post cards featured the fishing industry, particularly the dockside work. Whoever took those photos seemed to have a particular fascination with that area. There doesn't seem to be many photos of the local attactions, like the Esplanade or Sparrow's Nest nor to I find journalistic photos, like bomb damage or disasters. Either they didn't think they could compete with the national post card publishers like Valentine, etc. or they simply weren't interested.

Whether studio or postcards, the quality of the work was very professional. The pictures are crisp, well lit, and show a sensitivity to composition. The studio photographers had a knack for capturing their subjects personality and even the very early photos are more relaxed and not as stiff.

W. Boughton & Sons was located at 106 London Road, Lowestoft according to Kelly's Suffolk Directory of 1892. Other locations were-
54 London Road, Lowestoft (Kelly's Suffolk Suffolk Directory 1896/1900/1904/1908/1916, Ipswich District Trades Directory 1906/1907, Aubrey's Suffolk Suffolk Directory 1916)
54 London Road North, Lowestoft (Kelly's Suffolk Suffolk Directory 1912)
London Road (Huke's Directory- 1892)

Early-photographers.org writes "A carte, apparently from the late 1890s, also mentions a studio at Bury St. Edmunds. Its coincidence with the other studios mentioned on the mount – Lowestoft, Thetford & Yarmouth – would tie in with the state of the Boughton chain at around 1896. But the Bury business began operations rather earlier in the decade. An advertisement, discovered by David Gobbitt in the 'Bury and Norwich Post', 5th September 1893, states that the Bury studio has recently been opened and locates it at 7 Market Hill.
According to Lowestoft Journal, Boughton succeeded H. W. Bevan as official photographer to the mayors of Lowestoft. Robb/Godfrey notes that the Boughton, Jenkins and Wilson families were business competitors in Lowestoft but maintained strong social links.The studio at 54 London Road continued in use for many years, with Walter being succeeded by his son and grandson. Paul Godfrey's memories of the premises in the 1960s form a separate studio note." Reference