Printed: 2024-04-26
Damry, Walter
Identity
Category
Person (Male)
Alternative name or descriptor
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Status
- Professional
Details
Life dates
Liège, 1833 - Aix-les-Bains [Savoie, F], 1917
Activity
1857 * - 1873 / Liège, Mont-Saint-Martin, 56<57-62>, 25<62-68> or 27<69-73>
Successor: Damry Albert (Fils)
° 16.9.1833; + 24.12.1917.
On a CV of Nadar, Rue d'Anjou Saint Honoré, he was recorded as his Liège "correspondent". In a letter of 5.11.1872 to Nadar, Van Monckhoven wrote of "our friend Walter" with respect to a journey to Liège. Damry left for Paris in April 1873, where he was employed by Nadar. As part of his divorce proceedings, an inventory was made of his studio in September 1873 (State Archives in Liège, Notary E. Renoz, 8.9.1873). His equipment was valued at 15 000 francs. On 10.3.1874, Damry was no longer with Nadar: "By withdrawing Walter from your studio, I believed I would please us all. I freed you from an absent-minded assistant" (letter from Van Monckhoven). There were advertisements in the name of Walter Damry at this address in January 1874 (La Meuse, 17.1.1874 & 26.1.1874), indicating a brief return to the studio during the hand-over period to his son Albert. Subsequently Walter Damry was an operator in the Vanden Bemden studio in Antwerp until June 1874.
1875 * - 1880 / Bruxelles, Rue du Pont Neuf, 43 (corner Rue Neuve, 78)
Successor: Galimard - Beele
Arrived from Brussels - Schaerbeek on 7.6.1875. Damry entered into a partnership agreement at this address, signed on 21.6.1875 to take effect on 1.7.1875. His sleeping partner in "Damry & Cie" was Edouard Nahl, a building contractor. Damry was to "provide the firm with his material, apparatus and merchandise from the photographic activity that he currently practises, as well as his knowledge, abilities and labour". "Portraits of all kinds. Water colours. Painting in oils". Damry left for Paris on 13.5.1880 and was recorded on 4.9.1880, in his final divorce papers, as domiciled in Brussels currently living in Paris. He had returned to work with Nadar, whom he went on to quit by 14.11.1881. Damry remarried in Paris on 21.10.1880. One of the witnesses was Nadar's son Paul.
Damry then spent thirty years as a photographer in the French provinces with mixed fortunes, intermittently operating his own studio. He was active in Lille [F], registering patents in the field of photography in 1884-1885, in particular for an "instantaneous shutter", in conjunction with Alfred Leduc, patented in France on 8.11.1884 and in Germany on 14.4.1885, with a US patent filed on 22.4.1885. Damry was still operating in Lille between 1882 and 1890, Boulevard de la Liberté, 68, as director of the "Studio C. Mouth" (former studio Carette). Damry then moved to Brittany, initially operating in Dinard [Ille-et-Vilaine, F] at "Villa Claudine" no later than 1895. CVs exist bearing the two locations Dinard and neighbouring Saint-Malo [Ille-et-Vilaine, F]. Damry's business in Dinard was liquidated on 11.3.1898. He then moved to Saint-Malo, operating "sur le Sillon" in 1899 and remained there until at least 1901. Damry was then recorded in Aix-les-Bains [Savoie, F] (his second wife's home town) in 1906. By 1911, he had moved nearer to Paris and had recently acquired a studio as successor to Ernest Bichon in Corbeil [Essonne, F], Rue de Champlouis, 5 (corner Place Salvandy). Here he styled himself on card mounts "W. Damry / Portraitist".
Successor: Damry Albert (Fils)
° 16.9.1833; + 24.12.1917.
- Patent of 31.12.1860 for "an apparatus designed to facilitate the printing of photographic positives".
- Patent of 31.1.1863 for "a means of regulating sunlight in photographic operations" [behind the skylight illuminating the studio, place six mobile panels of similar glass each one third of its length, one behind the other (mat, frosted or blue panes)].
- Patent of 1.4.1863 for "a photographic camera designed to produce an opaque tint on the rims of negatives, and a white tint on the rims of positives".
On a CV of Nadar, Rue d'Anjou Saint Honoré, he was recorded as his Liège "correspondent". In a letter of 5.11.1872 to Nadar, Van Monckhoven wrote of "our friend Walter" with respect to a journey to Liège. Damry left for Paris in April 1873, where he was employed by Nadar. As part of his divorce proceedings, an inventory was made of his studio in September 1873 (State Archives in Liège, Notary E. Renoz, 8.9.1873). His equipment was valued at 15 000 francs. On 10.3.1874, Damry was no longer with Nadar: "By withdrawing Walter from your studio, I believed I would please us all. I freed you from an absent-minded assistant" (letter from Van Monckhoven). There were advertisements in the name of Walter Damry at this address in January 1874 (La Meuse, 17.1.1874 & 26.1.1874), indicating a brief return to the studio during the hand-over period to his son Albert. Subsequently Walter Damry was an operator in the Vanden Bemden studio in Antwerp until June 1874.
1875 * - 1880 / Bruxelles, Rue du Pont Neuf, 43 (corner Rue Neuve, 78)
Successor: Galimard - Beele
Arrived from Brussels - Schaerbeek on 7.6.1875. Damry entered into a partnership agreement at this address, signed on 21.6.1875 to take effect on 1.7.1875. His sleeping partner in "Damry & Cie" was Edouard Nahl, a building contractor. Damry was to "provide the firm with his material, apparatus and merchandise from the photographic activity that he currently practises, as well as his knowledge, abilities and labour". "Portraits of all kinds. Water colours. Painting in oils". Damry left for Paris on 13.5.1880 and was recorded on 4.9.1880, in his final divorce papers, as domiciled in Brussels currently living in Paris. He had returned to work with Nadar, whom he went on to quit by 14.11.1881. Damry remarried in Paris on 21.10.1880. One of the witnesses was Nadar's son Paul.
Damry then spent thirty years as a photographer in the French provinces with mixed fortunes, intermittently operating his own studio. He was active in Lille [F], registering patents in the field of photography in 1884-1885, in particular for an "instantaneous shutter", in conjunction with Alfred Leduc, patented in France on 8.11.1884 and in Germany on 14.4.1885, with a US patent filed on 22.4.1885. Damry was still operating in Lille between 1882 and 1890, Boulevard de la Liberté, 68, as director of the "Studio C. Mouth" (former studio Carette). Damry then moved to Brittany, initially operating in Dinard [Ille-et-Vilaine, F] at "Villa Claudine" no later than 1895. CVs exist bearing the two locations Dinard and neighbouring Saint-Malo [Ille-et-Vilaine, F]. Damry's business in Dinard was liquidated on 11.3.1898. He then moved to Saint-Malo, operating "sur le Sillon" in 1899 and remained there until at least 1901. Damry was then recorded in Aix-les-Bains [Savoie, F] (his second wife's home town) in 1906. By 1911, he had moved nearer to Paris and had recently acquired a studio as successor to Ernest Bichon in Corbeil [Essonne, F], Rue de Champlouis, 5 (corner Place Salvandy). Here he styled himself on card mounts "W. Damry / Portraitist".
Locations
1857 * - 1873 / Liège, Mont-Saint-Martin, 56<57-62>, 25<62-68> or 27<69-73>
1875 * - 1880 / Bruxelles, Rue du Pont Neuf, 43 (corner Rue Neuve, 78)
1875 * - 1880 / Bruxelles, Rue du Pont Neuf, 43 (corner Rue Neuve, 78)
Exhibitions
Brussels, 1861; Vienna, 1873; Brussels, 1875.
Genres / subject matter
Techniques
Bibliography/Webography
Context
Affiliations
Management
Record source
DIRECTORY_1997#916
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation/revision
SFJ revised 23.1.2017.& 8.4.2019; SFJ revised 26.10.2019, 5.10.2020 & 18.10.2020 based on information supplied by M. Demaeght; MCC revised 1.6.2020; SFJ revised 31.8.2023 based on information supplied by Stephan Molitor; SFJ revised 8.10.2023 based on information supplied by M. Demaeght; MD revised 27.11.2023