Jonathan Barnard

The sitter's surname appears in the lower right-hand corner of the image. He was one of the organizers of the London Sunday School Choir festival held each June at the Crystal Palace and of this concert held at the Royal Albert Hall on 16 January 1878. His name appeared on various advertisements placed to publicize the annual event; he was sometimes described as the 'Manager and Secretary' and mentioned as a source of tickets. His address was 29, Canton Street in Poplar, which places his residence very near the photographer's studio.

According to an article which appeared in The Daily News on 30 June 1892, the choral festival was 'established twenty years ago, during the whole of which time Mr J. Barnard has been manager and secretary and Mr Luther Hinton senior conductor'.

The 1881 census, which shows him living at 29 Canton Street with his wife Jemima and their eight children, reveals that by profession he was a 'Railway Clerk'. He was 49 years old, so he was born in or about 1832; his place of birth was Poplar. The youngest child in the family was only 5 months old. Named Luther, presumably in honour of Barnard's colleague Luther Hinton, the baby died less than two months later.

Photographed by W. Bartier of East India Road, London.