Milies but left no image of himself
In September 1907, Horace married Elizabeth Fanny Sample at Holy Trinity church in West Bromwich. After the big day, they returned to their new six-bedroom home at 26 Birmingham Road. The following year their first child Edna Mary Dudley was born, followed by their son Alan Dudley in 1913. Edna would grow up to marry Robert S. Bache in 1933. Robert was once the General Manager at the famous West Bromwich spring factory, that was set for demolition in July 2016. Shortly after the marriage, Robert hired Alan, giving him the position of Assistant Works Manager. Robert and Alan didn’t only work closely together at the factory but also saw much of each other at Horace’s house, where he allowed his children and their partners to live alongside himself and Elizabeth.
In 1931, at the premature age of 54, Horace retired due to declining health. Edward James Crowly, an employee and close friend of Horace’s, bought the studio at 63 Abby Street, Nuneaton. Edward continued to keep the Dudley name going, contending with the quickly growing portable camera technology that was becoming popular.
In the 1970s the Dudley studio name was known for their wedding photography. Their adverts were still regularly posted in papers, all around the Black Country, just as they were 60 years before. It is very likely that our local readers may have had experience with the studio. However, by the beginning of the 1980s, Horace Dudley Studios had ceased trading.
In December 1945 at the age of 68, Horace passed away amongst his family, leaving a legacy and a lifetime of photographic mastery behind him. Though he had taken thousands of photographs in his lifetime, the bitter irony is that not a single photograph remains of Horace Henry Dudley himself.