Fox & Symons

American, active 1870s-1900s

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Fox & Symons, a partnership of Alexander Fox and Charles William Symons, advertised as "The Best Artists in Salt Lake City" in January, 1876, though later ads would suggest the studio opened in 1874.Symons was born in England in 1845, and left for Salt Lake City in 1864. He was a photographer there by 1869.Alexander Fox had left England for Australia in the early 1850 in search of gold. Instead he took up daguerreotypy. When both his business and marriage failed, he turned to painting, but failing that, too, he disappeared in 1868. He was briefly a photographer in San Rafael, California before moving to Salt Lake City.In November, 1879 the firm bought out the studio of C. W. Carter and operated it as a branch. In 1881, Fox introduced "oleophotography," which was possibly just a heavily oil-painted portrait. In 1883 they introduced another novelty in colored portraits: "The little machine which does the retouching is a pneumatic contrivance that exhibits much ingenuity and accomplishes wonderful results."Alexander Fox died of alcoholism on March 11, 1882. His wife Amelia F. Fox took over his share in the studio. They began construction of a new two story building in January, 1884 which included a skylight from New York, costing $599. The studio, which opened in October, cost $10,000 and had a glass front and an elegant stairway with plater detailing described as the finest in the city. This may have represented a peak for the gallery. They announced a permanent reduction in prices of their dry-plate "instantaneous" photos in 1885; the ad ran almost every second day for three years straight. It was finally replaced with a pitch for the "Petite" format photograph wich was "all the rage" with the young people. Further ads promised "we WILL sell cheaper than any other house in town." In September, 1889 five studios agreed to fix their prices. In addition to Fox & Symons were Charles R. Savage, Morris & Co., C. W. Carter and M. W. Newcomb. No longer able to promise the cheapest prices in the city, Fox & Symons advertised cabinet cards "at Popular Prices." Their advertising dwindled to a halt in the 1890s, and in 1894 they were delinquent $120 on property taxes. They did obtain a contract for photographic work for the city, which included reproducing documents and occasionally taking portraits of criminals for the "Rogues Gallery" kept by the city warden.In December, 1906 Henry Newell purchased the studio's property along with neighboring lots to build an eight story skyscraper. After thirty-two years in business, the studio advertised a going-out-of-business sale of their stock and equipment at 50 percent off, including "fourty thousand glass suitable for greenhouse construction." Amelia Fox continued as a photographer, working from her home. Charles W. Symons occasionally worked as a photographer, but worked mostly for the Latter Day Saints Church. In March, 1934, he and Arzella Symons celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary, four months before his death at age 89.