TAUNT, Henry W.

"A master of the camera and possessed of a profoundly creative sense of scene and composition"

Henry Taunt lived all his life in Oxford: he was born in St Ebbe’s, eventually set up his own photography business, Taunt & Co. in the High Street, then moving in last phase of his life to Cowley Road.

The nearby River Thames was his principal source of inspiration and the subject of many of his photos. He concentrated on capturing scenes of the river itself and the views that could be seen from it as it meandered its way through Oxfordshire. Although he photographed other subjects as well – street life and architecture, for instance – it is his Thames shots for which he is best known today and which he used to produce the very first pocket guide to the River Thames.

Taunt was prolific – his business produced over 60,000 images – and made full use of technological innovations. Taking photographs on location required him to row to the position he needed to take his shot, set up his equipment and begin to develop his glass plate negatives immediately after making his exposures before returning to base. Taunt was not just a photographer: he wrote the manuscripts for over 50 published titles, illustrated with Taunt & Co photographs. Precision and attention to detail characterized his work: his New Map of the River Thames earned him a Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society owing to his high level of accuracy. Taunt also became a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters.

Our own River and Rowing Museum here in Henley-on-Thames has one of the major collections of Henry Taunt’s work. 

Please scroll down to see titles written or featuring images by Henry Taunt.