Photo society dates back to 1889

Few records exist of the society’s early days.

The first mention of an event is a slide show and lecture at the famous Holywell Music Room, in Holywell Street, in 1889.

A photograph has also been found of a members’ outing to Clifton Hampden in 1890, showing a horse and trap, a crowd of photographers and a forest of tripod legs.

No-one knows the exact date the society was formed, but it is likely it was before these times.

Another early reference to the society reveals that in 1894, it had a membership of 100.

The society’s meetings were held on the second and fourth Mondays of every month in the Oxford University Museum.

The entrance fee to meetings was a shilling and the annual subscription was five shillings.

Publicity material stressed that “women were admitted”.

Regular exhibitions of members’ photographs were held at that time.

The secretary then was George Newton and the president was the famous astronomer, Sir John Herschel.

The picture above was taken in 1951 in front of a Comet airliner, when members visited London Airport, now Heathrow.

Little is known about the society in the first half of the 20th century.

The archives between the two world wars have been lost, and none during the Second World War has been found, owing to constant changes of secretary.

Later records are also sketchy, and much of what does exist has come from the current president, Vernon Brooke, who joined in 1949 and is now the society’s longest-serving member.

Mr Brooke, of Jackson Road, North Oxford, tells me: “When I joined the society, the leading members were Harold Crawley, Jock Williams, Bob Rose and Jim Forest.

“The first meetings I attended were in the Oxford Central Girls’ School rooms behind Rowell’s silversmith’s shop, in High Street.

“Other venues were the University geology lecture theatre and lecture rooms at Oriel College.”

The society now has about 65 members and is looking forward to a bright future in the digital age.