James Lafayette was the pseudonym of James Stack Lauder (1853–1923). He was a late Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 and Edwardian

Edwardian period

The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...

 portrait photographer, and managing director from 1898 to 1923 of a company specialising in society photographs, Lafayette Ltd.

In 1887, he became the first Irish photographer to be granted the royal warrant

Royal Warrant

Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...

.

Collections

While thousands of images were credited to Lafayette studios, only those 649 photographs which were registered for copyright bear his signature as author. These are now held in the Public Record Office

Public Record Office

The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...

, in Kew

Kew

Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The Lafayette Collection at London's Victoria & Albert Museum consists of 3,500 glass plate and celluloid negatives. A further collection of 30,000 to 40,000 nitrate negatives is at London's National Portrait Gallery. Further collections are in the Royal Archives

Royal Archives

The Royal Archives, also known as the Queen's Archives, are a division of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It is operationally under the control of the Keeper of the Royal Archives, who is customarily the Private Secretary to the Sovereign.Although Sovereigns have kept...

 at Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

; and in private hands in Dublin.

External links

• The Lafayette Negative Archive
• Lafayette at the Devonshire House Ball 1897