Portrait of Sarah and Augustus Barrett – from Whitby Library archives
Toronto. I seldom see write-ups on older Canadian photographers. George Dunbar was browsing ‘ourOntario.ca‘ and happened upon the Whitby Library Archives. There he found material on a photographer, Augustus Barrett, who once operated a studio in Whitby and later a bit further west in Toronto.
George sent me these notes he gleaned from the archives, “Augustus Barrett was born in Germany in 1830. He married Sarah Ann Edwards and they had two children. Augustus opened his photography studio in Whitby in 1872 and operated a studio and gallery until 1884.
“Barrett’s studio in Whitby was located at 121 Brock Street North. He later opened a studio in Toronto and died in 1902. Sarah died in 1919. They are buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.”
Note. I used a riff on a popular 1930 English play, “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” about the romance of Robert and Elizabeth (Barrett) Browning.
