DEANE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVES

A. Laurens operated in Jersey and Guernsey. It is believed he was born in Jersey.

The Photographic Studios were In Jersey at 6 York Street, St Helier from 1899 onwards to at least 1946, and In Guernsey at 19 Pollet Street, St Peter Port from the late 19th Century until the early 20th century.

In their advertising in the late 1900s, they claimed to be the largest photographic establishments in the Channel Islands and also to be under Royal Patronage. The patronage more than likely refers to The Duke of Connaught's (The King's brother and Queen Victoria's son) visit to Guernsey on September 23rd 1905.

Research by the author has found two Laurens families in Jersey connected to photography:-

One family with the head of the household named Alfred E, who was born in 1856 in St Helier and started life as a plumber and then became a Plumber and Grocer (as detailed in the 1911 Census Transcript). In the same Transcript, his son, Herbert (born 1891) was a 'Photographer (Operator', and his daughter born 1896 was a 'Retoucher (photography)'.

The other family is listed in the Census Transcript of 1911. The head of the household is named as Alfred John Laurens and is aged 31 and born in 1880 - He is listed as being a 'Photographer.

The author would be grateful for any help in clarifying/correcting/ improving the above information.