Brett Payne's Victorian & Edwardian Photograph Collection Index to Victorian & Edwardian Photographers & Photographic Studios Home / Studio Index / England / Devon / Exeter / Samuel Poole Samuel Poole (c1823-1906) of Teignmouth & Exeter

Samuel Poole was born at Taunton, Somerset in about 1823. He married there and worked in his 20s as a house builder. He and his wife Mary Ann lived in Park Street and had at least six children before moving to 43 Teign Street, Teignmouth in Devon between 1857 and 1859, where they had a further three children by 1868. Mary Ann Poole died in 1890 and Samuel remarried, in 1895, to a widow Sarah Rossiter.

Samuel POOLE b. c.1823 Taunton SOM d. 1906 Teignmouth DEV m1: Mary Ann b. c.1826 Taunton SOM d. 1890 Teignmouth SOM m2: 1895 Teignmouth DEV Sarah ROSSITER b. c.1842 Compton Martin SOM
|- Helen Jane POOLE b. 1849 Taunton SOM m: 1869 Teignmouth DEV Edward ROBERTS b. c.1849 Truro COR
   |- Helen Evelyn ROBERTS b. 1870 Teignmouth DEV
   |- Rose Emily ROBERTS b. 1873 Ilminster SOM
   |- Edward Vaughan ROBERTS b. 1875 Sunderland DUR
   |- Walter Vivian ROBERTS b. 1877 Sunderland DUR
|- Samuel James POOLE b. c.Aug 1850 Taunton SOM d. 1903 Putney LON m: 1872 Teignmouth DEV Ellen Rosina SYMONS b. c.1854 Teignmouth DEV d. 1895 Putney LON
   |- Rosina Mary L. POOLE b. 1876 Torquay DEV
   |- James Bernard POOLE b. 1877 Putney LON
   |- Blanche Adelaide POOLE b. 1878 Putney LON d. 1896 Putney LON
   |- Violet Ethel POOLE b. c.1879 Putney LON
   |- Kate/Katie Eveline POOLE b. April 1881 Putney LON
|- William POOLE b. c.1852 Taunton SOM
|- Eveline POOLE b. c.1853 Taunton SOM
|- Arthur H. POOLE b. c.1855 Taunton SOM
|- Emily POOLE b. c.1857 Taunton SOM
|- Rosa Mary POOLE b. c.1862 Teignmouth DEV
|- Lilian Beatrice POOLE b. c.1864 Teignmouth DEV
|- Reginald Frank POOLE b. c.1868 Teignmouth DEV m: 1898 Teignmouth Alice SLATER b. c.1872 Burrington DEV

In the mid- to late 1860s, Samuel Poole was in partnership with Robert H. Preston, a Penzance photographer who was active for at least four decades (1861-1901). It is not known how long this firm lasted.

From 1881 onwards the Exeter shop also sold music, and when son Reginald Frank Poole (1868-) took it over after his father's apparent retirement after 1893, it appears that he ceased the studio photography business and only sold music. Samuel Poole senior died at West Teignmouth in 1906.

Eldest son Samuel J. Poole initially worked in his father's studio in Teignmouth, where he was at the time of the April 1871 Census, and where he probably received his training. After marrying Ellen Rosina Symons in 1872, however, he spent a brief period in Torquay, where his eldest daughter was born, before moving to Putney in South London (Surrey). There he set up a studio at 3 Alexander Terrace (1881), later moving to 116 Upper Richmond Road (1891 and 1901). He died three years before his father, in 1903.

Type Ia Used early to mid-1860s Sun with motto, "E lumine vita" single font Grey-blue ink on white card Teignmouth studio	Type Ib Used early to mid-1860s Sun with motto, "E lumine vita" single font Grey-blue ink on white card Penzance studio	Type IIa Used mid-1860s to early 1870s text with "tails" three fonts Black ink on white card Southernhay studio	Type IIb Used c. early 1870s Text with "tails" three fonts with extra text Black ink on white card Southernhay studio
Type III Used c. early to mid-1870s Prince of Wales feathers double line frame five fonts & extra text violet ink on white card Teignmouth studio	Type IV Used c. mid- to late 1870s Prince of Wales feathers(?) double line curved frame black ink on white card Teignmouth studio (cf. Type III)	Type V Used c. early to mid-1880s Text with three fonts on front Reverse unknown Brown text on white card Teignmouth studio

ID #: spoole03 Source: Collection of Brett Payne Artist: Poole, of Teignmouth Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63 x 100.5 mm; Photo 59.5 x 90 mm) Card Type: Type Ia (grey-blue on white) - sun with motto, "E Lumine Vita", single font. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1862-1865 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Two unidentified teenage boys, full length seated/standing portrait with cap.

ID #: spoole12 Source: Shallcross Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: Preston & Poole, of Penzance Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type Ib (brown on white) - sun with motto, "E Lumine Vita", single font. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1862-1865 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified middle-aged man with beard and moustache, full length standing portrait with pedestal.

ID #: spoole10 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay, Exeter Negative No. 688 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IIa (black on white) - simple text, three fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1865-1869 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified woman, probably in her 30s or 40s, full length standing portrait with chair and table.

ID #: spoole07 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay, Exeter Negative No. 1388 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IIa (black on white) - simple text, three fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1866-1869 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or 30s, full length standing portrait with chair.

ID #: spoole08 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay, Exeter Negative No. 6757 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IIa (black on white) - simple text, three fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1868-1871 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or 30s, full length standing portrait with table & chair.

ID #: spoole09 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay, Exeter Negative No. 8167 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IIa (black on white) - simple text, three fonts. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1869-1872 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Unidentified young woman, probably in her 20s or 30s, head-and-shoulders cameo portrait.

ID #: spoole01 Source: Exeter Album, Collection of Brett Payne Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay (Exeter) Negative No. 9408 Size: Carte de visite (Mount 64 x 101.5 mm; Photo 59.5 x 93.5 mm) Card Type: Type IIb (black on white) - simple text, three fonts with extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1870-1873 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Lower corners clipped, bottom of card trimmed. Inscribed, "Bessie Harper" on reverse. Subject: Bessie Harper, probably in her 20s, three-quarter length seated portrait with letter.

ID #: spoole06 Source: Collection of Leonie Cousin Artist: S. Poole, of Southernhay, Exeter Negative No. 11027 Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type IIb (black on white) - simple text, three fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1871-1874 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Two unidentified women with hats, perhaps in their 30s or 40s, full length standing portrait.

ID #: spoole04 Source: Collection of Brett Payne Artist: S. Poole of Teignmouth, of the firm of Preston & Poole, Penzance & Truro Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 63 x 105.5 mm; Photo 60 x 92 mm) Card Type: Type III (violet on white) - POW feathers, double line frame, five fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1871-1875 Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: elderly man, probably in his 50s, full length standing portrait with rolled umbrella & chair.

ID #: spoole05 Source: Collection of Brett Payne Artist: S. Poole of Teignmouth, of the firm of Preston & Poole, Penzance & Truro Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite (Mount 62.5 x 105.5 mm; Photo 60 x 93 mm) Card Type: Type III (violet on white) - POW feathers, double line frame, five fonts and extra text. Date: Undated, probably copied c.1871-1875 from an earlier painting or drawing Notes: Thin card. Square corners. Subject: Painting or drawing of elderly gentleman, probably in his 50s, head-and-shoulders vignetted portrait.

ID #: spoole11 Source: Collection of Patricia Bridgland Artist: S. Poole of Teignmouth Negative No. - Size: Fragment cut from a carte de visite(?) Card Type: Type IV (black on white) - POW feathers(?), double line curved frame. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1872-1875 Notes: Thin card. Subject: Painting or drawing of elderly gentleman, probably in his 50s, head-and-shoulders vignetted portrait.

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE

ID #: spoole02 Source: Collection of Roger Vaughan Artist: Poole, of Teignmouth Negative No. - Size: Carte de visite Card Type: Type V (brown on white) - text in three fonts on front, reverse ?. Date: Undated, probably taken c.1880-1884 Notes: Rounded corners. Subject: Unidentified woman, probably in her 30s or 40s, three-quarter length seated portrait with posy basket.

Historical Directories from the University of Leicester
Indexed 1841- 1901 Census Images from Ancestry.com
1881 Census Transcript & International Genealogical Index (IGI) from the LDS Church's web site FamilySearch
Partial Transcript of the GRO Index from FreeBMD
Photographers in Devon 1842-1939 : a brief directory for photograph collectors, by C.G. Scott, 1985, The PhotoHistorian Supplement No. 101, ISSN 0957-0209

Trade Directory entries

History, Gazetteer & Directory of Devon (1878-79)
- Poole Saml. 4 Somerset pl. Teignm'th

Kelly's Directory of Devon (1889)
- Poole Sl. 2 Somerset pl. We. Teignmouth

Kelly's Directory of Devon & Cornwall (1893)
- Poole Samuel, 2 Somerset pl. Teignmth

Many thanks to Patricia Bridgland, Leonie Cousin and Roger Vaughan for kind contributions of images and information.