19th century Hackney Archives

Eason & Co. – A Victorian Photo Studio in Dalston

30 March 202626 March 2026

Black and white photograph of three women outside, dressed in traditional Victorian clothes and bonnets. One woman is a wheelchair user. Copyright to Bridgit Anderson and Jim Four.

Eason & Co. photo studio captured a diverse, artistic and playful community in 1880s East London from portraits of large families and Salvation Army delegates from China and India to advertisements for music hall artists. This blog explores the story of the Dalston based family-run photo studio Eason & Co. John Eason: Draper to Photographer … Read more

Shoreditch Lascars

17 December 202526 June 2025

Watercolour illustration of two South Asian men working in a yard

Discover stories of Chinese and Indian sailors (often called lascars) serving the East India Company between 1797 and 1802 who found themselves living in east London’s Shoreditch