William Edmund Image FRCS DL JP (1807 - 26 September 1903) was a surgeon and early philatelist. In 1880 he served as High Sheriff of Suffolk.

Medicine

Image was born in Norwich but took his medical degree in France where he lived in the house of the French surgeon M. Dupuytren

Guillaume Dupuytren

Guillaume Dupuytren, Baron was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for Dupuytren's contracture which is named after him and which he described in 1831.- Birth and education :Guillaume...

. On returning to England he started work as a General Practitioner in Bury St. Edmunds, eventually becoming an acknowledged expert in forensic medicine and poisoning cases. Two wives pre-deceased him. In retirement he became a Justice of the Peace.

Philately

Image began collecting in 1859 and built a very strong collection which he sold to Thomas Tapling

Thomas Tapling

Thomas Keay Tapling was an English businessman and politician. He played first class cricket and was also an eminent philatelist who formed one of the greatest stamp collections of his era.- Early life :...

 in 1882 for £3000. Image's collection was more complete than Tapling's, who at first intended to sell his own collection, but who in the end decided to retain both. The Tapling Collection

Tapling Collection

The Tapling Collection was donated to the British Museum from the estate of Thomas Tapling in 1891.The probate value of the Tapling collection was set at £12,000 but on arrival Richard Garnett estimated their value at more than £50,000 and described the bequest as the most valuable gift since the...

 now forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections

British Library Philatelic Collections

The British Library Philatelic Collections is the national philatelic collection of the United Kingdom with over 8 million items from around the world. It was established in 1891 as part of the British Museum Library, later to become the British Library, with the collection of Thomas Tapling...

.

In 1886, Image donated a collection of philatelic literature

Philatelic literature

Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history- Background to philatelic literature :...

 to The Philatelic Society, London, now The Royal Philatelic Society, London which was one of the cornerstones of that organisation's library. He had joined the society on 10 April 1869.