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Neither East nor West

Introduction - Asia in the Age of Monochrome
Rudyard Kipling once wrote: "Oh East is East, and West is West, and never the two shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat; But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, tho' come from the ends of the earth!" - The Ballad of East and West.

As one of the most celebrated British authors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kipling captured the spirit of the times, addressing a crucial juncture in the exchange of ideas and cultures between East and West. This spirit is echoed in the portraits of the Lafayette Studio in London, whose clientele of royalty and dignitaries reflected how differences of geography, race and class were not always of consequence. In addition, these early photographs are historically significant, as many of the sitters, who came from Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Thailand, Japan, China and the Malay Peninsula, were highly influential and instrumental to the development of Asia.

History of the Lafayette Photographic Studio
'... the inspired pencil of Lafayette has limned for ages yet to come.' - James Joyce, Ulysses, 1922.

A lot of what we know about the Lafayette Photographic Studio is due to the extensive research and dedication of Russel Harris, Jane Meadows and Barbara Borkowy. The studio itself was founded in Dublin in 1880 by James Stack Lauder. James' father and three brothers were also pioneering and successful photographers. Seeking to create a new image for the Lauder family business, James adopted the French name Lafayette' because at the time, Paris was the centre for world art and avant-garde photography. The studio soon established itself as the premier portrait studio among the elite and James enjoyed much success. He began appearing in various newspapers and photographic journals, as well as winning exhibition medals for his portraiture not only in Ireland, but England, France and America.

His new found fame attracted the attention of the British royal family and in 1887 James Lafayette was invited to Windsor to photograph Queen Victoria. He was granted the highly prestigious Royal Warrant as Her Majesty's Photographer in Dublin', which was subsequently renewed by King Edward VII and George V. Since then, the title of Photographer Royal' has appeared on each of the studio's advertising and promotional literature. The prosperity of the Lafayette Studio grew rapidly in the 1890s, with more studios being established in Glasgow, Manchester, London's Bond Street and Belfast.

In 1923, James Lafayette, who has been described as being "the most dynamic, entrepreneurial member of his family", died at the age of 70. Following James' death, the company went into relative decline. In addition to facing stiff competition from a new generation of photographers, the Stock Market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression also had devastating effects on the studio. Although 'Lafayette Ltd.' continued to function until 1952, it finally dissolved in 1962. The studios' 80,000 glass negatives were rescued by Terry Thurston in 1968, who stored them at Pinewood Studios where he worked. In 1988, they were rediscovered and Pinewood offered them to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

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