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White three-story building with a shopfront marked 19:10, two window levels above, and people walking along the pavement.

72 Bridge Street Cambridge

72 Bridge Street, Stearn the photographers, Cambridge

History of Stearn the photographers, 72 Bridge Street

1861

Thomas Stearn, 36, tailor, b Middlesex

1911

Walter James Stearn, 47, photographer, b Cambridge

Portrait of a man with a mustache, short hair, and a high-collared jacket with a striped necktie, on a Stearn studio card.

Stearns, Bridge Street, unknown subject (MoC)

A collection of Stearn’s photos is kept by the Cambridgeshire Collection. Their guide to the collection can be found here:

stearnnegs

A large group of young women in light blouses and dark skirts posing outdoors with Union Jack flags and a banner on poles.

Empire Day photo by Stearns (MoC198/75)

A handwritten note in blue ink lists names and describes Empire Day attire on a piece of paper attached to a grey mount.

Reverse of Empire Day photo

1925

An illustrated document heading featuring text with floral flourishes flanking a central shield showing lions on a cross.

Norman Mace, Freshman photo 1925

Large group of young men in sports attire posed in rows before a brick building with a long, glass-paned veranda roof.

Norman Mace, Freshman photo 1925

A young man in a collared jersey, dark shorts, and tall light socks sits with his arms crossed in a vintage black-and-white.

Norman Mace, Freshman photo 1925

The photo was taken and framed by Stearns for Mr Mace of Jesus College.

Sepia-toned portrait of a man with short dark hair and round tortoiseshell glasses, wearing a suit, white shirt, and tie.

Norman Mace circa 1944. He was born 1906 in Stapleford, Notts, and died 1968, Melbourne, Australia.he was awarded an Open Mathematics Exhibition to Jesus College in 1925.

1962

Stearn & Sons, photographers

Photowork Ltd


In 2016 Joan Robertson recounted how her husband, Stan, had come to Cambridge in the 1940s and joined Stearn’s as a photographer:

https://cms.capturingcambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Robertson10-Working-together.mp3

Stan became one of the leading university photographers and a fellow and president of the Master Photographers Association:

https://cms.capturingcambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Robertson12-Stearns.mp3

 

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