Claude Harris

Elaine Harris

23 June 2022, 10:57

Hubert Claude Harris was born Jan 1884 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England and died Died 28 OCT 1961. Kensington, London, England. His photography studio was 122-124 Regent Street London.He retired and gave up his studio there in 1939. He was a naval air officer and produced and directed the 1916 film The Sanctuary.
nippets from British Journal of Photography, Vol 87
1941

"Scrutator has had a visit from Claude Harris. The older generation of photographers will remember the Claude Harris studio in Regent Street, London. Claude Harris worked up a large connection in the theatrical world, photographing many celebrated actors and actresses. He was one of the pioneers of lighting portraits with a 1500-watt lamp. What made it so difficult to light with a series of high-power bulbs was the fact that in those early days all lamps were controlled by the same switch — the lights were either all on or all off. Nevertheless, remarkable work was done. Claude Harris fought in the Boer War, went through the Great War, in the Navy, then emigrated to Australia. He has now retired."


... and from "I Can Take It", by Jack Cato, an Australian photographer who worked in London around 1911-13 or so:

"A young man named Claude Harris, who had been on the stage with Tree and Forbes Robertson, had just opened a studio in Regent Street near Piccadilly Circus. He was becoming famous for his pictures of stage beauties. He was a master of lighting. I first saw his show cases filled with pictures of Gladys Cooper, the most beautiful girl on the English stage. There was a delicacy and refinement about his work obtained by strong light filtered through a fine gauze screen near the sitter. This gave fully lighted transparent shadows and a delicacy new to portraiture. I sat on his door step until he employed me as operator, sharing the sitters with himself. He was a tall, good looking man about five years older than myself. He treated me as a personal friend, and I spent the happiest and fullest year of my life up to that time in his studio. Here came my first introduction to the exciting, exhilarating world of the English theatre."