PIPER, John Dixon

1818 - 1900

John Dixon Piper was born at Ipswich on 8 February 1818, fourth of the thirteen children of Stephen Piper, printer, and his wife Mary née Muddiman (1791–January 1884), youngest daughter of Joseph Muddiman of Long Buckby, Northamptonshire. Apprenticed to his printer father and opened a printing & bookselling shop in Hadleigh, Suffolk. He married at Little Wenham, near Ipswich on 4 January 1844, Elizabeth Ansell, daughter of Robert Ansell. He sold his Hadleigh business in 1854 and returned to Ipswich when he then took up the then 'new-fangled' photography, with his studio at 24 Silent Street, Ipswich and in 1856 exhibited at the Norwich Photographic Society and in 1859 at the Photographic Society of Scotland, also showing at the London Photographic Society 1857-1863 and was highly regarded but seems to have given up photography. In 1869, described as an artist, still living at 24 Silent Street. A great lover of art and a landscape and figure painter, a founder member of Ipswich Fine Art Club 1875-1899 and elected President in 1887. He exhibited from Silent Street, Ipswich in 1882 one painting, 'An Old Mask', in 1885 two works 'Staverton' and 'Old Trees at Barham' in all he exhibited eight works 1880-1886 including 'The Post Office, Wenham'. John Dixon Piper died, without issue, at 24 Silent Street, Ipswich on 30 October 1900, leaving the then substantial sum of £13,000, one of his executor's being William Thompson Griffiths. His house contents and stock-in-trade were auctioned on 28-29 November and his Silent Street premises on 5 December 1900.

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Works by This Artist