1865 Harrod & Co's Directory Hampshire & IOW (page 1159)
Edwin Adams, photographer & agent to Integrity Life Assurance & Sick Benefit Society,
Melville Street, Sandown

1867 Kelly's Directory IOW
Edward Peter Adams, photographer, Melville Street, Sandown

1875 PO Directory IOW
Edward Peter Adams, photographer, Fitzroy Street, Sandown

1879 Hill's Historical & Commercial Directory (page 399)
Edward P Adams, Landscape & Photographic Artist, 9 Osborne Terrace, Fitzroy Street, Sandown

My thanks to Les Barrett for locating the above advertisement.

Edward must have taken up photography shortly after his marriage to Fanny, because the baptism entry for their son (also named Edward Peter) in November 1858 at Holy Trinity, Ryde, records him as being a photographic artist of 26 High Street, Ryde. An advertisement in the IW Chronicle in 1876 (see above) confirms that he was established in 1860.

By the time of the 1861 census, the family had moved to 30 High Street, Sandown, and comprised Edward and Fanny, their son Edward Peter (2) and a daughter Grace (11 months); Edward's occupation still being recorded as a photographic artist. They also had living with them a lodger - 22 year old watchmaker Frederick Baker from Newport.

The 1871 census shows the family had moved to 24 Fitzroy Street, Sandown, and had expanded with the addition of daughter Jessie Cox (9) and son Harry (5) [mistakenly written as Harvey in the census]. In this census, Edward was described as a 51 year old photographer. It may be of interest to note that lodging next door to them was a watchmaker Joseph Cox, after whom Jessie may have been named.

The 1881 census shows the family had moved again, this time to nearby 9 Osborne Terrace off Fitzroy Street, and had expanded further with the addition of three more children - Ernest (9), Harold (7) and Eunice (4). In this census, Edward was described as a 67[sic] year old photographer.

Absent from the family home in 1881 were the three older children - Edward, Grace and Jessie. Son Edward jnr had married Mary Ann Harvey in 1879 and was living nearby at Bradford House, Fitzroy Street, and was working as a gilder and picture frame maker; presumably making frames for his father's photographs. Daughter Grace was a school mistress in Battersea, London, and daughter Jessie was a servant to a large household in Hastings, Sussex. (Another servant there was Matilda Leaver age 34 from Ryde).

Edward and Fanny had three further children - Albert John (1864), Vincent (1867) and Teminia (or Jemina) (1869) but, sadly, they did not survive childhood and missed being recorded in the 1871 census. Also, the birth registers records that both Grace and Ernest were given the middle name of Mundy which may have some significance.

Edward Peter Adams snr (and it is assumed the rest of his family) left the Island sometime after 1881, and he died in 1884 at the age of 64 in Wandsworth, London.

The 1891 census records Edward's widowed mother Fanny Adams (55) living in Battersea, London, along with her children Grace (30), Harry (25), Ernest (19), Harold (17) and Eunice (14). Meanwhile, Edward and his wife Mary Ann were living in Greenwich, London, where 32 year old Edward was employed as a photographer.

By the time of the 1901 census, Edward Peter Adams jnr had become a photographer employer, and living with him in Greenwich were his wife Mary Ann, young daughter Theodora and two nieces, Mary and Ada Harvey from the Island, both working as photographic retouchers. In 1901, Edward's mother Fanny Adams was also living in Greenwich with her son Harry, now married and with two children, and working as a picture frame maker. No attempt has been made to ascertain the whereabouts of Fanny's other children in 1901.

Note - Edward Peter Adams should not be confused with another photographer Edward Adams who was operating on the Island in a similar time frame. Whilst it may seem attractive to believe there was some connection between them, it is probably just an uncanny coincidence as no evidence has been found to date to show that they were related or even associates.
 

My thanks to Ann & Les Barrett for supplying the above press cutting.