About This Image

Full ink title in German on recto of mount. Note wood stand behind official to support him through the exposure.

J. Jackson was a commercial photographer. Jackson's photographic business operated under several titles: Privates Bentley and Jackson, Rangoon circa 1865-circa 1869; Jackson and Lourie, Rangoon circa 1870; J. Jackson, Rangoon circa 1871-circa 1915. Jackson had premises at 15 Phayre Street in 1891 and 278 Dalhousie Street in 1910.

J. Jackson, together with a partner J. Bentley, opened a photographic studio in 1865. It seems as if, although the pair shared the premises, and the costs, they did work independently. Both of them used their own logo stamped or printed on the back of their cartes-de-visite. Their partnership only lasted for four years. After that Bentley’s traces vanish. Little is known about J. Bentley’s background except that he was a private in the British army.

As for Jackson, he continued his photographic career and managed to establish his business as the first successful commercial photo studio in Rangoon. In the early 1900s Jackson proudly advertised his studio as being the oldest established in Rangoon.

J. Jackson may be the most under-appreciated photographer of Burma. While he had to compete with more and more photo studios that established themselves after the British annexation of Upper Burma in 1885, his photographs from the 1860s and 1870s are important historical images. Thanks to Jackson's work we are able to get a rare glimpse of Rangoon when many of the buildings were still constructed from wood and had thatched roofs.

Although based in Rangoon Jackson traveled extensively across the country and extended his portfolio with photographs of Mandalay, Pagan (now Bagan), Bassein (now Pathein), Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Prome (now Pyay) and Tounghoo (now Taungoo).

Jackson took countless studio portraits of Burmese officials, ordinary people and different ethnic groups of Burma. During the 1860s most studio portraits were of a particular austere style. The elaborate painted backdrops that would become more popular during the 1880s were still rare. Jackon’s early studio photographs feature mostly a solid colored background, sometimes with a curtain. There was either a simple floor mat or a carpet, and only a few props like a chair, a table or a lectern.

Unfortunately, many of Jackson's photographs are still incorrectly attributed to other photographers or in most cases just labeled “unknown photographer”. This and the fact that there is very little known about Jackson's life contributed to the way that he is overlooked and under-appreciated.

Jackson's early biography is largely unknown. He was born in 1836 and probably came to Burma in the 1860s while serving in the British military. We don't even know what the "J" in J. Jackson stands for, and the only photographs of himself, might be the European figure in the background of some of his prints, but we are not certain about that.

The little information available about him was unearthed by studying old advertisement features. This research was done by John Falconer, one of the foremost experts on colonial photography in Burma.

The photographic business of Bentley and Jackson was listed in 'Thacker's Bengal Directory' from 1865-69; as Jackson and Lourie, in 1870; and as J. Jackson alone from 1871. Probably in view of the increasing competition from photo studios that had been established after the annexation of Upper Burma by the British, Jackson entered into a partnership with Klier (Klier & Jackson) from 1885- 88, but after that he worked independently. In 1901, J. Jackson moved his business, from 15 Phayre Street (now Pansodan Street) to 278 Dalhousie Street (now Maha Bandula Street).

His business, J. Jackson & Co., was listed in the directories until 1915, indicatng that he successfully operated it for half a century. Jackson died in 1918 at the age of 82.

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