Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Snap, I've had this one over 70 years.
Retlaw.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Here's a postcard that you may find interesting. It too suggests that they sold a camera patented specifically to Walton's. Maybe worth looking up patent records for more info? I have no patent number to help you with though sorry.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Here is an advert from around 1920

Attachment 17917

This is the post card that started me off on the trail of the camera and Tom Walton. My version of this is more like a photo than a postcard, it doesn't have any lines to divide the space on the back into the writing side and the address side.

I wondered if it was a sort of publicity shot for the camera to hand out to anyone who might buy one. Is your card the same?

This is a great advert it shows how long a history the shop had. Where does the advert come from? Is it photographic magazine?

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

I don't own the original - I just have the image file unfortunately. The description that went with it described a Real Photographic Postcard, so I'd assume there was either a space for address/message on back, or a pre-printed sales message as was often done on these (although I don't know for sure).

The embossed/debossed text that can be seen shows that it is definitely printed on card - although many non-postcard photographs were printed on card too, so that doesn't really help.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Re Ravenshaw's image above. I think it is an ad from a series of Year Books published by the Observer. 'Cars stop at door' indicates it was in the tramway era, so pre1930.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

The advert was in a programme for an Accrington Amateur Operatic Society production in the 1920's

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Sodding hell, yer didn't do much in the way of opera,when we used to go down ewood.:eek::D

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

We used to sing on the Darwen End didn't we ?

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

Thanks Jeff, it's good to put a date to the advert - can you get any closer than "the 1920s"? I am trying to find out when he became a photographer, and I know that in the 1911 census he was a textile machine fitter (I think at Howard & Bullough's).

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

A reference book I have shows him at 114 between 1925 & 1939, though we know he was there much later.
He called the shop Walton's Imperial Studios

There was a William Walton in a studio 74 Geoffrey St & 1 Hill Place, Fishergate, Preston between 1898 & 1939 in the same book

The best books to check are the various Barrett's directories 1915,1925 1930,1935

Also look for ads in the Year books published by the Observer.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

The advert shows the sale of oxygen for medical and "lantern" purposes. Anyone know what this was about?

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

I think I can now answer my own question. Early magic lanterns used "limelight" - a very powerful light produced by burning a pellet of lime in oxygen - hence the term "in the limelight". Sounds very dangerous to me.

Re: 114 Abbey Street
 

I have just been going through some old newspapers for the 1920's and found the advert in the paper in 1928. I will work back to see if I can find any others but they do appear in the telephone directory for 1922 at 114 Abbey Street.