1899 Kelly's Directory of Hampshire & IOW (page 637)
Hughes & Mullins, photographers, 60 Union Street, Ryde

1899 Kelly's Directory of Hampshire & IOW (page 638)
Gustav Mullins, photographer, see Hughes & Mullins [sic]

1915 Kelly's Directory IOW (page 719)
Hughes & Mullins, photographers, 60 Union Street, Ryde

1915 Kelly's Directory of Hants & IOW (page 1090)
Gustav Mullins, photographer, 64 Union Street, Ryde

An advertisement from the IW County Press dated 9 April 1910
announcing Gustav Mullins' new studio at 64 Union Street, Ryde
My thanks to Ann Barrett for locating the above advertisements.

Around 1880, he had become an assistant to Jabez Hughes at his sudio at 60 Union Street, Ryde. In 1883, Hughes took Mullins into partnership, trading under the name HUGES & MULLINS. The following year Hughes died, and Mullins purchased the furniture and fittings from Hughes' widow, but continued trading under the name HUGHES & MULLINS for nearly 30 years.

The firm of HUGHES & MULLINS were granted a Royal Warrant on 15 January 1885 when they were named "Photographers to Her Majesty at Ryde". Mullins made a number of portraits of Queen Victoria and the Royal Family. A group portrait taken in the Council Room at Osborne House in April 1886 is particularly noteworthy because it shows four generations of the Royal Family and it features a smiling Queen Victoria. She was evidently very pleased with Mullins' portraits, describing them as "very successful" in her journal. In the late 1880s, Mullins was commissioned to re-photograph the large number of early photographs in Queen Victoria's collection. Mullins used the permanent carbon process process to make photographic prints of images from the 1840s and 1850s which needed to be preserved.

Gustav Mullins continued to trade as HUGHES & MULLINS until just before the First World War. In 1910, he moved to smaller premises at 64 Union Street, where he traded under the name Gustav Mullins only. Presumably, this move was as a result of Mullins being made bankrupt (see press announcement heading below). Later, he entered into a partnership with the photographer Newton Barrie at 64 Union Street. After Mullins' death in 1921, the business continued under the name BARRIE & MULLINS until around 1935.

Gustav Mullins died on 27 December 1921 and was buried at Ryde Cemetery.

My thanks to David Simkin for supplying the above historical notes.

"I W BANKRUPTCY COURT
On Monday, at the Guildhall, Newport, before the Registrar (Alfred Dashwood, Esq).
OFFERS OF COMPOSITION REFUSED
Re GUSTAVUS HENRY WILLIAM MULLINS, of Regina House, Union street, Ryde, photographer. - Debtor attended for his adjourned public examination. ..." - IW County Press, 22 Jan 1910.

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