George and Ashley Abraham
George and Ashley Abraham, sometimes referred to as "The Keswick Brothers", were rock climbers, authors and photographers who lived in Keswick, Cumberland in the English Lake District. They made a photographic record of the exploits of many of the climbing pioneers, especially Owen Glynne Jones, with whom they formed a close climbing partnership from 1896 until his death in 1899. Most of their work was done between 1890 and 1920 and forms a valuable record of the evolution of early rock climbing in the region.
Early life
They were the two eldest of four sons of George Perry Abraham, a photographer, postcard publisher, and mountaineer, and his wife Mary Dixon. Their brother Sidney was a bank manager in Keswick, and brother John Abraham became acting Governor of Tanganyika.George married Winifred Ellen Davies; their daughter was the diarist Enid J. Wilson. Winifred "ghosted George Abraham's numerous books on the basis of her husband's rough notes".
Rock climbing
One of their many first ascents in the Lakes was the 74 m "Keswick Brothers' Climb" on Scafell crag on 12 July 1897, now considered "Very Difficult" in the British grading system. Another memorable first ascent was of "Crowberry Ridge Direct" on the Scottish Munro Buachaille Etive Mor in 1900.After their co-operation with Jones in his very successful Rock Climbing in the English Lake District, they produced companion volumes, Rock Climbing in North Wales and Rock Climbing in Skye. These attempted to emulate Jones' exuberant style, and were of course illustrated with their own photographs.
Throughout their career the brothers' camera of choice was the Underwood Instanto, which recorded images on 8.5 x 6.5 inch photographic plates. Many of their climbing photographs,, were reproduced in Alan Hankinson's Camera on the Crags. A large selection is also in the possession of the FRCC, of which the brothers were founding members and Ashley its first president. The FRCC was founded at the , which displays a large number of Abraham photographs, including in its Abrahams' Restaurant. Two current books of Abraham photographs, Capturing the Mountains and From Pillar Rock to the Matterhorn are available there and elsewhere.
The Abrahams' photographic shop in Keswick, built in 1887, was taken over in due course by local mountaineer George Fisher; the modern shop still contains many memorabilia, including photographs, from the Abrahams' era.