Richard Ellis

Richard Ellis (27 January 1842 – 23 December 1924) was a British-Maltese photographer who was one of the pioneers of photography in Malta during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in St. Luke's, East London, he travelled throughout Europe as a circus performer in St Luke's, London to James and Sarah Ellis, who at that time already had 5 children and later would have 7 more. As a child he became apprenticed to the circus performers James and Sarah Conroy. James, Sarah Conroy, their then-1 year old baby Jane, Adelaide Anceschi, and Richard Ellis arrived on the island on the 9th April 1861, where Richard became an apprentice in James Conroy's first studio in Strada Concezzione, Senglea. By 1870 James Conroy has opened additional premises at 134, Strada Stretta, where mostly carte de visite were produced. the German emperor, the queen of Portugal and various other European royals or nobles. which document Malta's history during the last few decades of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century.

Legacy After Ellis' death, his photography business was taken over by his son John until 1931, and eventually by his grandson Richard Jr until 1993. The focus of the firm moved from photography to frame-making in the 1990s. The business then passed to Richard Jr's nephew Ian Ellis, whose focus has been on maintaining the photography archive. Ian Ellis has published books showcasing Richard Ellis' photos, and he wants to establish a photography museum in Malta, aided by curator and photographic historian Dr Charles Paul Azzopardi.