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Robert John Welch
[edit]Later in life and Death
[edit]
September 1936 Welch's business and small assets were wrecked by the beginning of war in 1914, which had already been harmed by loans to impatient relatives.[1] The death in 1915 of the unmarried sister who had served as both housekeeper and bookkeeper added to his worries (their mother had died in 1908).[2] Welch received an honorary doctorate from Queen's University in Belfast in 1923.[3] After the war, photography resumed, but Welch's financial situation never improved. In 1927, however, his supporters successfully petitioned the new Northern Ireland administration (Welch was a staunch unionist in politics) for a civil list pension of £100 per year on his behalf.[4] Welch was a member of the Belfast Naturalist Field Club, which was his primary interest. The club was created in 1863 to encourage natural history and archaeological research, as well as to expand understanding of the north of Ireland's geology, botany, zoology, and antiquities[5] and The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland's President.[6] At the age of 77, he died on September 28, 1936, leaving an inheritance worth less than £500 After his death, his friends obtained a collection of 5,000 of his glass plate negatives, as well as numerous lantern slides, original prints, and other mementos, through donations or purchases from his executors. As a legacy to the man and his work, the 'Welch collection' was given to the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery - now the Ulster Museum.[1] In 1977, a collection of these pictures was released with commentary. The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum has the glass negatives of the pictures made for Harland & Wolff.[3] Welch's work was typically of high quality, although it lacked technological innovation. Its extremely wide range and scope, as well as the photographer's obvious love for scholastic pursuits beyond the grasp of most of his professional peers, account for its remarkable interest.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Welch, Robert John | Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ Lecture 129: The Real Robert Welch by Aidan McMichael, retrieved 2021-11-26
- ^ a b "The Dictionary of Ulster Biography". www.newulsterbiography.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ Ireland, Culture Northern (2005-08-25). "Ireland's Eye: Photographs by Robert Welch". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "Robert John Welch". www.irelandseye.com. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ uhistadmin (2015-04-18). "Robert John Welch". Ulster History Circle. Retrieved 2021-11-25.