Alexander Bassano

Who was Alexander Bassano?

Alexander Bassano was the leading royal and high society portrait photographer in Victorian London.

He was the second youngest child of Clemente Bassano, originally a fishmonger of Cranbourne Street, later an oilman and Italian warehouseman of Jermyn Street, London. He opened his first studio in 1850 in Regent Street. The studio then moved to Piccadilly 1859-1863, to Pall Mall and then to 25 Old Bond Street in 1877. Bassano also had studios at: 122 Regent Street, 1862–76; 72 Piccadilly, 1870–81; 25 Old Bond Street, 1878–1903; 182 Oxford Street, 1889; 42 Pall Mall, 1891–92; 18 Alpha Road, 1892-96. There was also a company named "Bassano and Davis" at 122 Regent Street in 1866, a firm named "Bassano Limited" at 25 Old Bond Street from 1906 and a "Bassano's Studio's Ltd" at 25 Old Bond Street, 1904-05. The National Portrait Gallery, owner of a large number of Bassano's photographs, states that Bassano's firm was based at 25 Old Bond Street from 1876 to 1921.

In addition to the various London premises mentioned above, there was also a Bassano branch studio at 132 King's Road, Brighton from 1893 to 1899.