George and Ashley Abraham (George Dixon Abraham, FRPS, 7 October 1871 – 4 March 1965; Ashley Perry Abraham, 20 February 1876 – 9 October 1951), sometimes referred to as "The Keswick Brothers", were climbers, authors and photographers who lived in Keswick, Cumberland in the English Lake District.[1] They made a photographic record of the exploits of many of the climbing pioneers, especially Owen Glynne Jones, with whom they formed a close climbing partnership from 1896 until his death in 1899. Most of their work was done between 1890 and 1920 and forms a valuable record of the evolution of early rock-climbing in the English Lake District.[2][3]
Early life
They were the two eldest of four sons of George Perry Abraham (1844–1923), a photographer, postcard publisher, and mountaineer, and his wife Mary Dixon.[4] Their brother Sidney was a bank manager in Keswick, and brother John Abraham became acting Governor of Tanganyika.[4]
Rock climbing
One of their many first ascents in the Lakes was the 74 m "Keswick Brothers' Climb" on Scafell crag on 12 July 1897, now considered "Very Difficult" in the British grading system. Another memorable first ascent was of "Crowberry Ridge Direct" (graded "Severe") on the Scottish MunroBuachaille Etive Mor in 1900.
After their co-operation with Jones in his very successful Rock Climbing in the English Lake District (1897), they produced companion volumes, Rock Climbing in North Wales (George, in 1906) and Rock Climbing in Skye (Ashley, in 1907).[5] These attempted to emulate Jones' exuberant style, and were of course illustrated with their own photographs.
Throughout their career the brothers' camera of choice was the Underwood Instanto, which recorded images on 8.5 x 6.5 inchphotographic plates.[3] Many of their climbing photographs, (including the classic portrait of Owen Glynne Jones), were reproduced in Alan Hankinson's Camera on the Crags. A large selection is also in the possession of the FRCC (The Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District), of which the brothers were founding members and Ashley its first president.[6]
The Abrahams' photographic shop in Keswick, built in 1887, was taken over in due course by local mountaineer George Fisher; the modern shop still contains many memorabilia, including photographs, from the Abrahams' era.
Abraham, Ashley P. (1902). "With a Camera Up Mont Blanc". Cassell's Magazine. Vol. 34, no. 4. London: Cassell. pp. 339–346.
Abraham, Ashley P. (1903). Douglas, William (ed.). "Glencoe"(PDF). The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal. Vol. 7, no. 2 (No. 38). Edinburgh: The Scottish Mountaineering Club. pp. 110–111.
Abraham, George D. (1911). "Adventures Amongst the Dolomites". The Pall Mall Magazine. Vol. 48, no. 3 (No. 221). London: Routledge. pp. 336–347.
Abraham, George D. (1911). "The Most Dangerous Work in the World". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 27, no. 6 (No. 162). London: George Newnes. pp. 530–539.
Abraham, George D. (1912). "How to Climb Safely in the Alps". The Pall Mall Magazine. Vol. 50, no. 1 (No. 231). London: Routledge. pp. 2–15.
Abraham, George D. (1912). "Our Adventures in the Black Coolin". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 29, no. 1 (No. 169). London: George Newnes. pp. 26–34.
Abraham, George D. (1912). "The Most Difficult Climbs in Britain". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 29, no. 6 (No. 174). London: George Newnes. pp. 594–600.
Abraham, Ashley P. (1913). "Two Thrilling British Climbs". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 31, no. 5 (No. 185). London: George Newnes. pp. 458–465.
Abraham, George D. (1914). "Some New British Climbs". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 33, no. 5 (No. 197). London: George Newnes.
Abraham, George D. (1916). "Winter-Sport Mountaineering: How to Avoid Its Dangers". The Wide World Magazine. Vol. 36, no. 6 (No. 216). London: George Newnes.
Abraham, Ashley P. (1900). "A Cure for Consumption: Dr. Otto Walther and His Work". The Windsor Magazine. Vol. 11, no. 3 (No. 62). London: Ward, Lock & Co. pp. 365–371.[a]
Abraham, George D. (17 May 1924). "Two Miles Inside a Mountain". The Graphic. Vol. 109, no. 2842. London: Edward Joseph Mansfield. p. 754.[b]
M. J. B. Baddeley - a leading writer of a Lakes guidebook in the older, text-based style.
W. A. Poucher - who further developed the Abrahams' style of highly-illustrated guides.
Notes
^The brothers were excused active service during the First World War on medical grounds, in Ashley's case because he had previously suffered from Tuberculosis.[3]
^An account of a trip down the Greenside Lead Mine (Cumbria) made by the author.
^ abc Hankinson, Alan (1990). Camera on the Crags: A Portfolio Of Early Rock Climbing Photographs By The Abraham Brothers. Cambridge: Silent Books. ISBN1851830189.
^ abGriffin, A. H. (25 June 2010). "The Abraham Brothers: Photographing the Past". Footless Crow – Mountain Life. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
A. Phizacklea (1996), Scafell, Wasdale & Eskdale, Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District.
Further reading
Steinberg, Susan (2008). Capturing the Mountains: The Lake District Through the Lens of the Abraham Brothers. Keswick: Abraham Photographic. ISBN978-0955882401.