GILL, William (1854-1912)

1854 - 1912

William Gill was born at Islington, London in 1854, eldest child of William Gill (1812-24 November 1877), a commercial clerk, and his wife Elizabeth née Payne (1820-1892), who married at Newington, London in 1851. About 1868 they moved to Vine Cottage, George Street, Ipswich and in 1871, young William was a 17 year old assistant photographer, living at Vine Cottage with his parents, 56 year old William, born at Bury St Edmund's, Suffolk and 50 year old Elizabeth, born at Southwark, with siblings, James Payne 15, a chemist's apprentice, born at Islington, Ellen Charlotte 11, born at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Herbert 8 and Wilfred Loveday, both born at Ipswich. At the age of 15, William had been apprenticed to Ipswich photographer William Vick (1833-1911), father of Henry William Vick, and Gill later opened his own shop at Dogs Head Street, Ipswich. He married at Norwich in the first quarter of 1879, Elizabeth Charlotte, née Rey (1856-29 March 1934), a teacher, and the family were living in Ipswich for the birth of their first two children William Rey Gill in 1879 and his sister Elizabeth Nora in early 1881. In 1883 they moved to Colchester, Essex and in 1891 were living at Mauldine, Errington Road, Colchester and where Elizabeth died in 1934. William exhibited from Head Street, Colchester at the Ipswich Fine Art Club in 1890 'Maltings Farm, Lexden, Colchester', 'Sleeping Bridge, Colchester' and 'Brightlingsea, Essex'. In 1891, a 37-year-old photographer & artist, living at Mauldine, Maldon Road, Colchester with his 36-year-old wife Elizabeth, and children William, Elizabeth, and Enid 4, all born at Colchester and were still there in 1891 with a further three children, Muriel 9, Beryl 6 and Alan 3, all born at Colchester when William had his studio at Sir Isaac's Walk, Head Street, Colchester. William Gill was a founder member and one of the hon. secretaries of the Colchester Art Club in 1894. In 1911, a 57-year-old photographer & miniature painter, living at 142 Maldon Road, Colchester with two of his five surviving of his eight children. William Gill was a photographer of Colchester, when he died at Portland House, 15 Fitzroy Square, West London on 23 February 1912, at which time he was President of the Professional Photographers' Association. A contributor to several magazines, and his death was widely reported in photographic circles, such as Wilson's 'Photographic Magazine' and was well-known for both for his writing on photography and for his pictures taken under such difficult lighting conditions as moonlight and sunsets. There are several artist with this name about this period and they have been conflated.

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Works by This Artist