Francis Foot

Francis Foot

Francis Foot, a self portrait

The famous HMV sign in its heyday

The Smith family photographed by Francis Foot around 1909

It is amazing where one can come across photographs of one's family, but to find a picture of your grandmother and grandfather in a Jersey Evening Post supplement published just months after retiring as managing director, and previously editor, of the newspaper, came as quite a surprise to Jerripedia editor Mike Bisson.

He takes up the story:

"I left the JEP in 1996 after a career of 27 years which culminated in editing the newspaper and then being appointed managing director of the company which published the newspaper and its associated activities. I then moved to France, where I have been living since 1999, and had no idea that a 20-page supplement of images by renowned Jersey photographer Francis Foot had been published less than a year later. I first discovered this supplement in 2012 while sorting through my mother-in-law's possessions after her death. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a picture captioned:'This unknown family is pictured in the garden of a very distinctive house with arches over the windows which may give a clue to their identity.'

"I did not need to take note of the distinctive window arches, because this was a picture I already knew very well - it was my maternal grandmother's family at their home around 1900-1910, Highfield, St Saviour. Among those in the photograph were Granny Constance Rimington (nee Smith), her future husband Jimmy Rimington, and various members of the Smith family."

I have other photographs taken at the same session, probably in 1909, showing the Smiths with their musical instruments, and already appearing in a gallery of photographs of my family which I added to Jerripedia some time ago."

Francis Foot

Francis Foot was born in 1885, the son of Francois Foot (1847-1918) and Louisa Hunt (1843-1934). Francois was a china and Glass dealer in Dumaresq Street, at a time when the area was one of the more affluent in St Helier. His son started his working life as a gas fitter. However, he soon became fascinated by photography and the early phonographs and gramophone records and realised that he could earn a living from them.

So the family took on a second shop in Pitt Street, where Francis worked as a photographer, while his father and mother sold gramophones, records and other wares in Dumaresq Street. After his father's death, Francis concentrated the business in Pitt Street.

Francis married Margaret Vernon shortly before the First World War and the couple had four children, George (1914- ), Stanley (1915- ), Dora (1917- ) and Reg (1920- ).

Francis Foot outside his shop

HMV franchise

The family had prospered through holding the HMV franchise for Jersey and the famous corporate logo, based on a painting created in 1899 by Francis Barraud, of the dog Nipper listening to a cylinder phonograph, was painted on the Dumaresq Street wall, where it remains to this day, and was completely restored in 2018.

Some of Francis Foot's photographs were published as postcards, although many of his images feature portraits of his family. Eventually the gramophone and record side of his business became more important and took over the larger shop in Pitt Street, where Francis was still selling records in the 1950s and 60s when they were made from vinyl.

Collection in archives

It was Stanley's son John who gave the collection of the glass plates and other photographic material, which had been gathering dust since his grandfather's death, to La Société Jersiaise. in 1996. Its on line photographic archive contains 322 images of subjects as diverse as Battles of Flowers, St Helier Harbour, shipwrecks, fetes and coastal and country views.

Francis Foot also took 16mm black and white cine films, some of which, from the 1930s, are now held by the Jersey Archive. These show such events as aircraft landing on the beach at West Park, a visit by HMS Sheffield, cattle shows, Battle of Flowers at Springfield and the Liberation and visit soon after of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Gallery of Francis Foot photographs

Click on any image to see a full-size version

The Foot family

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  George, Stanley and Dora in 1919
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  George and Stanley
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  George and Stanley in 1916
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  Dora with her wicker pram in 1919
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  Francis, Margaret and Dora
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  The Foot family in their car ....
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  .... spot the difference, as the children change places
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  Louisa at the wheel of the car with Margaret and George behind and Dora Reg and Stanley on the running board
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  A family picnic on Grouville common in 1924. Stanley, George, Dora, Margaret, Louisa and Reg
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  Francois Foot, father of the photographer
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  Louisa Foot
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  Louisa with Dora
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  Francis with Reg and his mother
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  Margaret with Dora and George in 1920
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  Francis Foot's father Francis
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  Foot's daughter Dora poses as a milkmaid
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  Children George, Stanley and Dora
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  Francis Foot on a photography outing - probably a self portrait

Margaret Foot with Dora and George outside the family shop in Pitt Street

Island views and events

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  A cottage at Archirondel
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  An arch at Cheapside for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary
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  A delightful portrait of an unknown girl in a Jersey bonnet
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  Cattle ready for export at the Harbour
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  A chalet on Grouville Common
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  The Esplanade in front of the Bristol and Grand Hotels
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  Children collect their trophies at St Clement Horticultural Society's show at Samares Manor in 1907
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  Dancing girls from St Clement School
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  An old fisherman with his wife and son. It is not known if this photograph was taken in Jersey or France
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  Train at Gorey ...
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  ... and anopther
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  Troops march on to the Victoria Pier ready to leave for war in 1914
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  The 1st Battalion of the Devon Regiment parades on the pier ready for departure
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  Havre des Pas
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  A group of men on an outing
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  A photograph by Francis Foot of an early car on the road in Jersey
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  The sign being painted
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  The shipwrecked Roebuck
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  Roebuck
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  Margaret and Dora outside one of the family's shops
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  Inside the shop
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  An unknown Jersey property
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  The Weighbridge
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  Beach huts at Gorey
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  Seaside hut at Grouville Bay
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  Harbour arrival
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  Picot's at Cheapside
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  Portrait of two women
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  Refloating the Roebuck
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  St Clement's Show at Samares Manor in 1907
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  WW1 troops depart
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  Soldiers leave for war

Battle of Flowers

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