Robert French

Robert French (11 November 1841 – 24 June 1917), was an Irish photographer, known for his photographs of Irish life, landscapes, and settlements.

Life and Work Robert French was born in Dublin to William and Ellen French on the 11 November 1841; he was the eldest of seven children. William French was a court messenger.

Later, he became a photographic printer for John Fortune Lawrence at 39 Grafton Street.

In March 1865, he was hired by John Fortune's brother, William Mervin Lawrence, the owner of a more successful photography studio at 7 Upper Sackville Street (Now O'Connell Street), located opposite the General Post Office. In the following years, French worked his way through the ranks first as a printer, colourer-retoucher, Assistant Photographer and finally, in the mid to late 1870s , he became the Chief Photographer for the studio. Mathias Magrath's house, Moyasta, Co.Clare after destruction by the Battering Ram. circa 1888 In the following years, he travelled throughout Ireland photographing Irish towns, villages, tourist attractions, and topographical views. His work did not include photographs of political events, however, he did document numerous evictions.

In 1943, the National Library of Ireland acquired The Lawrence Collection for a sum of £300. French photographed 30,000 of the surviving 45,000 images in the collection.

French's photographs of Ireland are still popular today. They provide the most detailed glimpse into Irish life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and can be found in many textbooks and documents detailing this time period.