Background
Sir John Benjamin Stone was born on February 9, 1838, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He was the son of a local glass manufacturer.
1902
John Benjamin Stone, portrait by Leslie Ward
(Known locally as Holy Austin Rock, probably after a 16th-...)
Known locally as Holy Austin Rock, probably after a 16th-century hermit who lived nearby, the rock houses date back to at least the 1750s. They are cut from a sandstone ridge. By the time Stone photographed them, only a couple of families still lived in the houses. Today they are restored and open to visitors.
1895
(Made soon after Charles's death in February 1685, this li...)
Made soon after Charles's death in February 1685, this life-size effigy stood over the king's grave for 150 years. It then moved to the Islip Chapel, where it was photographed by Stone, and is now in the Abbey museum. The figure is dressed in the robes of the Order of the Garter, possibly those of the king himself.
1896
(This shows a man standing behind the face of the Big Ben ...)
This shows a man standing behind the face of the Big Ben clock. Stone used his position as MP for East Birmingham to make an extensive record of the Houses of Parliament.
1897
(In this ceremony at Westminster Abbey, which goes back at...)
In this ceremony at Westminster Abbey, which goes back at least to the 12th century, the monarch gives a specially minted coin to a group of pensioners on the Thursday before Easter. There is one coin and recipient for each year of the monarch's reign.
1898
(The congregation gathers around a 'coffin' well decorated...)
The congregation gathers around a 'coffin' well decorated with flowers arranged in patterns to form texts from the Bible and other motifs. The ceremony takes place on Ascension Day, but it supposedly originates in an annual Roman festival of the spirits of streams.
1899
(Trinity Church is where Shakespeare was baptised and buri...)
Trinity Church is where Shakespeare was baptised and buried. We don't know if these shot marks really were the result of military execution, but with the man positioned as he is, they make for an intriguing and disturbing image.
1900
(In his book, Stone described this as the 'most curious an...)
In his book, Stone described this as the 'most curious and interesting remains of the comus, or wandering dance', celebrated annually to mark the return of spring 'to a quaint old horn-pipe tune, repeated so often during the day that the visitor remembers it as long as memory lasts.' Flora Day evolved from a pagan festival and remains an important annual event for the town.
1901
(James Watt was an engineer and the inventor of steam powe...)
James Watt was an engineer and the inventor of steam power. We can tell from the title of this photograph that Stone was interested in preserving an image of this haunting memorial. It was a prescient move. Heathfield Hall, built for Watt in 1787-90, was demolished in 1927 and Watts's belongings went to the Science Museum, where they are displayed today.
1901
(Revived in the early 1860s, the Knutsford May Day celebra...)
Revived in the early 1860s, the Knutsford May Day celebration is said to originate in the ancient pagan festival of Maia and Flora. This scene shows the May Queen of 1902, Julia Wragg, enthroned and crowned. The boy kneeling in the foreground is the Crown Bearer, who bears the crown on a purple cushion and places it on the May Queen's head.
1902
(The festival, which still takes place today, has always b...)
The festival, which still takes place today, has always been held annually on the second Tuesday after Easter. It is related to the ancient governance of the town and the paying of rents. Among the fees due are a penny from the men and a kiss from the women.
1902
(It is said that no more than 99 yew trees can grow in Pai...)
It is said that no more than 99 yew trees can grow in Painswick churchyard and that the hundredth will always be pulled out by the devil. A recent count revealed 103 yews.
1902
(This fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by ...)
This fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1585, still takes place every twenty years. The road is barred and tolls exacted from passers-by. Anyone found not to have paid the toll is carried through the fair on a pole and then placed in stocks.
1902
(A locally produced pageant to commemorate the founding of...)
A locally produced pageant to commemorate the founding of the monastery in 672 by St Wilfrid. The monastery later became the cathedral. The presence of the Woolcombers' Group in the pageant reflects the historical importance of wool in the local economy.
1906
(A press-gang was a group of men empowered to coerce peopl...)
A press-gang was a group of men empowered to coerce people into joining the military or naval services. They are pictured in Fordwich, once a port town and part of the medieval defence system known as the 'Cinque Ports'.
1906
(Ducking stools were used for community punishments. They ...)
Ducking stools were used for community punishments. They attached to wheels and taken through the town, or slung from poles and lowered into the water. The photograph shows a man in the chair, but usually, it was women who underwent this humiliation. The last recorded case in Britain was in 1807.
1906
(The Warwick Pageant was part of the early 20th-century cr...)
The Warwick Pageant was part of the early 20th-century craze for historical pageants, and it was organised and directed by Louis Napoleon Parker, one of the founders of the form. Today the pageant has been replaced by the Warwick International Festival, which takes place on the castle's 'Pageant Field'.
1906
Sir John Benjamin Stone was born on February 9, 1838, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He was the son of a local glass manufacturer.
John Benjamin was a local Conservative politician, founder of the Birmingham Conservative Association and MP for Birmingham East from 1895 to 1909. He was a member of the Sutton Coldfield Corporation for many years and was the first Mayor of the town in 1886 when the new Municipal Corporation was created; a post he held for four years. He was knighted in 1892 and was appointed High Steward of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield in 1902.
John Benjamin was also a prolific amateur documentary photographer who travelled widely in pursuit of his hobby. He made 26,000 photographs and wrote books as he travelled to Spain, Norway, Japan and Brazil. Amongst his published works was A Tour with Cook through Spain (1873), Children of Norway (1882), and a fairy tale called The Traveller's Joy. He also made an invaluable record of the folk customs and traditions of the British Isles, which influenced later photographers of note, including Homer Sykes, Daniel Meadows, Anna Fox and Tony Ray-Jones. John Benjamin wrote of his purpose as being "to portray for the benefit of future generations the manners and customs, the festivals and pageants, the historic places and places of our times."
John Benjamin travelled with a scientific expedition to northern Brazil to see the 1893 total solar eclipse. Notable images taken by Stone include those of the deposition of governor José Clarindo de Queirós of the then province of Ceará in Brazil.
The Benjamin Stone Photographic Collection housed in the Library of Birmingham contains many thousands of examples of his work. In 1897 he founded the National Photographic Record Association, of which he became president. The National Portrait Gallery holds 62 of his portraits and many photographs of people and places in and around Westminster. His amateur career culminated in 1911 with his appointment as official photographer to the coronation of King George V.
John Benjamin became president of the Birmingham Photographic Society, a Justice of the Peace, and a member of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Geological Society. He was admitted as an honorary member of the Clothworkers' Company in February 1902.
John Benjamin died at his home, The Grange in Erdington, on 2 July 1914. His wife of nearly fifty years died on 5 July, just three days later. They were buried together in a double funeral in Sutton Coldfield on 7 July 1914.
Helston "Flora Day". The early morning "Furry Dance" through the Town
(In his book, Stone described this as the 'most curious an...)
1901Westminster Abbey 1898 The Royal Maundy Ceremony April 7th. Yeoman of the Guard carrying the dish containing alms
(In this ceremony at Westminster Abbey, which goes back at...)
1898Warwick Pageant "Queen Ethelfleda and Britons"
(The Warwick Pageant was part of the early 20th-century cr...)
1906The Wayfarer's Dole. St Cross Hospital, Winchester
(The "Horn of Beer" and "Piece of White Bread" given on kn...)
1904Visitor Mr Theodore Napier of Edinburgh
(A memorial ceremony in remembrance of Mary Stuart (Queen ...)
1909Tissington "Well Dressing". Derbyshire Reading Psalms at the "Coffin" Well
(The congregation gathers around a 'coffin' well decorated...)
1899Rock dwellings. Kinver. Staffordshire
(Known locally as Holy Austin Rock, probably after a 16th-...)
1895The famed clipt yew trees of Painswick Churchyard. Gloucestershire
(It is said that no more than 99 yew trees can grow in Pai...)
1902May-day Festivities, Knutsford. Crowning the May-Queen. Cheshire
(Revived in the early 1860s, the Knutsford May Day celebra...)
1902The Customs of Corby Pole Fair. Barrier against all Strangers at the entrance to the Village
(This fair, held in commemoration of a charter granted by ...)
1902Westminster Abbey 1896 Wax effigy of King Charles II
(Made soon after Charles's death in February 1685, this li...)
1896Hock-tide festivities at Hungerford. The Constable (Mr Alexander) and two Tything men with "Tutti" or "Posey" Poles
(The festival, which still takes place today, has always b...)
1902Northamptonshire. 1899. Pensioners of Jesus Hospital Rothwell
(The hospital was founded by a local benefactor, Owen Rags...)
1899Pensioners of the "Coningsby Hospital". Hereford
(The almshouses were founded by Sir Thomas Coningsby in 16...)
1904Equipment of a "Press Gang" party. Official staves, drums, Constable, etc. Fordwich, Kent
(A press-gang was a group of men empowered to coerce peopl...)
1906Ripon Pageant. "Guild of Woolcombers" Group
(A locally produced pageant to commemorate the founding of...)
1906Houses of Parliament 1897 The inner side of Dial. Clock Tower
(This shows a man standing behind the face of the Big Ben ...)
1897Shot Marks of a Military Execution, on North Wall of Trinity Church. Stratford-on-Avon
(Trinity Church is where Shakespeare was baptised and buri...)
1900The workroom of James Watt, at Heathfield Hall, Staffordshire, which is absolutely undisturbed since his death in 1819
(James Watt was an engineer and the inventor of steam powe...)
1901The Ancient "Ducking Stool". Fordwich. Kent
(Ducking stools were used for community punishments. They ...)
1906Four soldiers of the King's African Rifles at the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
1902Black Jacks
1902A County Funeral. Cheshire.
1902Iron Stocks. Painswick Gloucestershire
1902Ancient Custom, St Bartholomew's Churchyard: Twenty-one aged widows pick up sixpences, under a bequest from the tombstone of the Testator
1902Houses of Parliament 1897. Speaker's Chair and Clerks table. House of Commons
1897
A rotund, bewhiskered man, John Benjamin has been described by his biographer as quietly self-assured and contented in temperament.