Father and son

Photographed by Miss Rosenthal of 2 Red Lion Square, London.

Miss Rosenthal was either the wife or one of the elder daughters of Sigismund Rosenthal, an immigrant originally from Breslau in Germany. The family appear on the 1861 census, living at 2 Red Lion Square in Holborn. Sigismund gave as his profession 'Lithographic Artist'. With him on the night of the census were his wife Elisabeth, who was born in Paris; their four daughters Amelia (20), Ernestine (16), Clara (10), and Charlotte (4); and their three sons Edward (18), Gustave (15) and Alphonse (12). The three older children were all born in Paris; the younger ones were born in London.

On 30 July 1864 the following advertisement appeared in the Times: 'FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHIC ESTABLISHMENT - Mdlle ROSENTHAL begs to announce that she has OPENED her PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO in the garden at 2 Red Lion-square, WC. under the superintendence of Mr S. Rosenthal, the well known portrait painter. Photographs taken in any size. Reproductions from old portraits and daguerreotypes.'

When the 1871 census was taken, Sigismund described himself as an 'Artist Portrait Painter', as did Amelia. Clara described herself as 'Ditto in Cameos'. Ernestine was not present on the night of the 1871 census. On neither census did their mother Elisabeth make any claim to a profession.

On 22 June 1872, at St George the Martyr in Bloomsbury, Amelia married Thankmar Oscar Auguste Rausch, an artist. He appears as Augustus T. Rausch on the 1871 census, a 'Lithographic Artist' from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Germany. A daughter, Bertha Charlotte, was born in Bloomsbury in 1873. Another daughter, Sophie Louise Margareth, was born on 10 December 1877 and baptised at St George the Martyr on 5 May 1878. The family were then living at 49 Berners Street, just north of Oxford Street. They appear at the same address on the electoral rolls for 1880, 1881 and 1882. In 1888 and 1889 they were living at Richmond in Surrey. At the time of the 1891 census they were living with Clara Rosenthal, Amelia's sister, at 44 Sheen Park, Richmond. Thankmar was still a 'Lithographic Artist'. Amelia died a widow at Dehradun in northern India on 13 April 1920. Probate was granted to her daughter Louise Margareth Sophie Costgave and her effects were valued at £218.