Contributed by Orla Fitzpatrick
Seán Sexton’s collection of over 20,000 images
spans the history of photography. Sexton’s collection
includes all formats, genres and processes, from early
salt-paper negatives and once-off daguerreotypes
through to snapshots and spy cameras.
Much of Sexton’s collection comprises photographs
taken by members of the Irish landed gentry. The
gentry were early adopters of photography, having the
necessary time, money and education to undertake
the practice. Sexton’s prized acquisition is the work
of Augusta Caroline Crofton (later Lady Clonbrock,
wife of 4th Baron Clonbrock, Luke Gerald Dillon).
Born in Mote Park, County Roscommon in 1839 (the year
photography was invented), Crofton’s images stand out
as providing a thoughtful portrayal of the gentry world.
Created using the difficult wet plate collodion process, the
extent of her photography is astounding for its range and
technical ability. Sexton highlights Augusta Crofton’s work
as well as that of Robert Shaw and Christine Chichester
for particular praise, noting that Irish photographers were
influential during this early wave of amateur practice.
Seán Sexton’s family history came from the parish of
Kilmurray Ibrickane, in Mullagh, County Clare. Built
in 1846 during the Great Famine, the Sexton paternal
family home is a direct trace to this traumatic period in
Irish history. Seán’s mother’s family were small farmers
from Miltown Malbay, just six miles from Kilmurray
Ibrickane. Seán’s grandfather and his brother spent
time in New York before returning to live in Milltown.
The Sexton farm was small, comprising fifty acres
of good land where all their food was grown. Seáns
father ploughed the land himself, with a horse and
a plough. Second oldest of seven boys, Seán recalls
the children walking three and a half miles to school
without shoes each day. Seán’s childhood was shaped
by the strong influence of his mother, who ran the
household with skill and dedication. His father was a
quiet man, and Seán never saw his parents argue, which
was a testament to their harmonious relationship.
At the age of 17, Seán became the only sibling to emigrate,
leaving Ireland for London in the mid 1960s when work
was scarce in Ireland. He found lodging at 261 Royal
College Street in Camden. His first job was stacking
shelves in a Camden Town supermarket, before taking
on seasonal work picking potatoes. Seán took on various
jobs, including strenuous physical labour on the railways
in Surrey, where he cycled 30 miles each way to work.
This work was gruelling, involving the maintenance of
railway tracks and the heavy lifting of caked gravel and
stones. Seán also worked with Murphy Builders, driving
and labouring on construction sites. On a visit home
in the 1960s, Seán took a pick and shovel to dig a drain
and bring running water into the family home for the
first time, a small comfort for his mother during her final
days. Seán’s parents passed away within a year of each
other. His father passed in 1966, and his mother in 1967.
A turning point in Seán’s career came in 1973 when
a friend, Mick Madden, introduced Seán to the world
of photography. Seán began attending auctions at
Christie’s and Sotheby’s, where fine art photography
was just beginning to gain recognition. With a keen eye
for artistic photographs, Seán started collecting and
trading, gradually building his expertise. Despite having
no formal education in the arts, Seán’s natural talent and
dedication led him to become the leading expert on the
Irish archival photographic collections. Though he didn’t
have a lot of money to begin with, his ability to spot the
market potential of photographs, and the purchase and
resale of non-Irish photographs, allowed him to build up
reserves and fund his Irish collection. One such example is
the work of the English gardener and photographer Charles
Jones, whose photographs of prize vegetables dating
from 1900, were bought by Sexton at Bermondsy market
in London. These were then sold on at a considerable
profit as the beautiful gelatin silver prints were much
sought after by interior designers, chefs and foodies.
Throughout his life, Seán experienced the challenges of
being Irish in England, including facing discrimination
and exclusion. Despite this, he has always identified
strongly with his Irish roots, never considering himself
British. Although he is not fluent, Seán can speak Irish,
a connection to his heritage that he holds dear, as his
identity remains deeply tied to the land of his ancestors.
In 1978, Seán married a woman from Galway, and together
they had a daughter who now lives back in Ireland.
Seán’s greatest regret is that his mother didn’t use her
Kodak Brownie to photograph life as it really was on the
family farm in County Clare. Instead, she drew water from
the well to bathe her children in a tin tub, dressed them up
and took snapshots to impress their relatives in America.