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Fox & Symons portraits of Latter-day Saint church officers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS P 190

Scope and Contents

Collection includes portraits of presidents and church officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taken by Fox & Symons, and later by Charles W. Symons. Subjects include Brigham Young, Joseph F. Smith, and Heber J. Grant. All are cabinet photographs. Dated approximately 1874-1906.

Dates

  • approximately 1874-1906

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research. Items kept in cold storage; access requires 24 hours advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Fox & Symons was a photography gallery and studio established in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1874. The proprietors of the gallery were photographers Alexander Fox (1828-1882) and Charles W. Symons (1845-1934). They bought a studio from C.W. Carter in 1879 where they ran their business. The gallery closed in 1883, following the death of Fox. Symons continued to photograph after the death of Fox until 1906 when Henry Newell bought the photography studio. The photographs included portraits of presidents of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other people and scenes in Utah.

Biographical / Historical

Charles W. Symons was born on June 17, 1845 in London England to parents Sarah Elsey and Charles Henry Symons. He then migrated to Utah from England in the year 1864. He married his wife Azella Whitaker and was shortly thereafter called on a mission to England on March 4, 1889. Charles W. Symons started a photography business with Alexander Fox in 1874 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the joint owner of the Fox & Symons photograph gallery between 1874 and 1883. Their photographs mainly consisted of people and places in Salt Lake City and a large collection of them can be found in the Brigham Young University Archives. He later opened his own studio which closed in 1906. He died at the age of 89 on July 23, 1934 and was buried next to his wife in the Salt Lake cemetery.

Biographical / Historical

Alexander Fox was born on August 22, 1825 in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom to parents Joel Fox and Eliza Emanuel. He married Rosetta Phillips on September 20, 1854 in Melbourne, Australia. He then moved to California where he photographed in San Rafael, California and subsequently moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. There he opened a photography gallery with his friend Charles W. Symons in 1879. Their photographs mainly consist of portraits of Utah people and images from the Utah area. He and his wife went on to have eight children. He died in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 10, 1882.

Extent

3 folders (0.15 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Materials were donated to L. Tom Perry Special Collections by Roger Flick in 1985.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Roger Flick; 1985.

Appraisal

Photographs (Photograph Archives).

Processing Information

Processed; Anne Ashton; August 2022. Updated finding aid for DACS compliance and accuracy. Rehoused photographs to plastic sleeves for preservation.

Title
Register of Fox & Symons portraits of Latter-day Saint church officers
Status
Under Revision
Author
Abe Austin
Date
2012 February 23
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States