Photographers: Lemenager, Watford (Hertfordshire Genealogy)

Henri Victor Leménager, Photographer, Bushey & Watford, 1861-1887

December, 2011

Places

Bushey	Watford

Henri Victor Leménager (1822-1912) was born in Paris, France, and at the time of the 1861 census was a French teacher at a private school run by Henry Biggs, High Street, Bushey. Later the same year he married Mary Jane Braden in London. They were living in Bushey in 1863 when their first child was born. He is recorded as a French teacher & photographer at Chalk Hill Bushey in 1866 and was still there at the time of the 1871 census, when he was just described as a photographer. However the 1872-1886 trade directories recoded him as a photographer at 16 High Street, Watford.

Carte de Visite from Chalk Hill, Bushey

CDV of unnamed little girl

The chair is the same as the one used later in the Watford Studio (D)

H V Leménager

Photographer

Chalk Hill, Bushey Herts

within three minutes

of the Bushey Station

No plate number

Date 1861-1871

Their children (all born in Bushey or Watford) were Amelia Victoria (1863), Sophie (1865), Henri Victor (1871), Charles Seward (1873), Alfred William (1875) and Alexander George (1877). Amelia Victoria Leménager married John Charles Bruton in St Mary's, Watford, in 1881. I have found no later relevant UK birth, marriage or death certificate entries. This is undoubtedly because Henri and Mary Jane (and possibly other members of their family) emigrated to the United States in 1887. He died in Washington state in 1912, leaving Mary Jane as a widow, and she was still living in Washington, in 1930. She died at Tacoma, Pierce, Washington 15 April 1936. She was 94 years 8 months and 14 days old. This fits with her being shown as a minor on the marriage certificate.

Examples of Carte de Visite from 16 High Street, Watford

These photos were all presumably taken between 1871 and 1887.

These five carte de visite all have different backs and probably relate to different dates - but the order is not known.

B, C, and D all have the words "Marion, Imp. Paris" in very small print - presumably the printer of the card backs.

C has a blank back.

If you know of any other CDV produced by H V Lemenager which can be dated (or where you can say one photograph is older than another) please Tell Me

	D
	E

Other Online Photographs

St Albans museum has an example of a circa 1870 Lemenager photograph.

See a number of views of Watford/Rickmansworth area taken by Lemenager taken in 1870. These may include pictures used as illustrations for the book Historical Sketch of Rickmansworth and the Surrounding Parishes.

There are frequent CDV and other photographs by him advertised on ebay.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.

December 2011		Page created
April 2012		CDVs from Bushey and Watford "E" added