Frank Browne
Encyclopedia
Francis Patrick Mary Browne MC with Bar
, Belgian Croix de Guerre SJ (3 January 1880 – 7 July 1960) was a distinguished member of the Jesuit order in Ireland and a prolific photographer. His best known photographs are those of the RMS Titanic and its passengers and crew taken shortly before its sinking in 1912.
, Ireland
, the youngest of the eight children of James Browne and Brigid Browne (née Hegarty). His mother, the daughter of Lord Mayor
of Cork James Hegarty, died of puerperal fever
eight days after Francis's birth. After the death of his father in a swimming accident at Crosshaven on the 2 September 1889, Browne was raised and supported by his uncle, Robert Browne, Bishop of Cloyne
, who bought him his first camera shortly before the younger man embarked on a tour of Europe in 1897.
(1891–1892), Christian Brothers College, Cork
(1892–1893), St. Vincent's Castleknock College
(1893–1897) where he graduated in 1897. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Stanislaus College, Tullabeg on 7 September 1897. He later attended the Royal University of Ireland
.
Upon his return to Ireland, Browne joined the Jesuits and spent two years in the novitiate. He then attended Royal University
in Dublin where he was a classmate of James Joyce
, who featured him as Mr Browne the Jesuit in Finnegans Wake
. He then studied theology
at the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
in Dublin from 1911 to 1916. It was during this period that he received a present from his uncle; passage on the RMS Titanic from Southampton
, England
to Cork.
and London
, boarding the Titanic on the afternoon of April 10, 1912 in the company of the Lenox-Coyningham and Odell families. He was booked in cabin no. A24 on the Promenade Deck. Browne took dozens of photographs of life aboard Titanic on that day and the next morning; he shot pictures of the gymnasium, the Marconi
room, the first-class dining saloon, his own cabin, and of passengers enjoying walks on the Promenade and Boat decks. He also captured the last known images of many crew and passengers, including Captain Edward J. Smith, gymnasium manager T.W. McCawley, engineer William Parr, Major Archibald Butt
, and numerous third-class passengers whose names are unknown.
During his voyage on the Titanic, Browne was befriended by an American millionaire couple who were seated at his table in the liner's first-class dining saloon. They offered to pay his way to New York and back in return for Browne spending the voyage to New York in their company. Browne telegraphed his superior requesting permission, but the reply was an unambiguous "GET OFF THAT SHIP - PROVINCIAL". By a quirk of fate, the denial probably saved his life; as few men in first class survived the sinking.
Browne left the Titanic and returned to Dublin to continue his theological studies. When the news of the ship's sinking reached him, he realized that his photos would be of great interest, and he negotiated their sale to various newspapers and news cartels. They appeared in publications around the world. Browne retained the negatives.
Although his photographs have been described as the Titanic Album of Father Browne and books about the photographs have been published in many languages which describe Browne as a priest, Browne had not yet been ordained at the time he photographed the Titanic.
as a chaplain. He served with the Guards until the spring of 1920, including service at the Battle of the Somme
and at Locre, Wytschaete, Messines Ridge, Paschendaele, Ypres, Amiens and Arras in Flanders
. He was wounded five times during the war, once severely in a gas attack, and was awarded the Military Cross
and Bar for his valour in combat. Browne took many photographs during his time in Europe; one, which he called Watch on the Rhine, is considered a classic image of World War I. He published a collection of his war photographs in an album named after his most famous photograph and distributed copies to his colleagues in the Guards.
After the war Father Browne returned to Ireland. In 1922 he was appointed superior of Gardiner Street Church in Dublin. Ill health dogged him, however, and in 1924 it was thought that he would recover more quickly in warmer climes. He was sent on an extended visit to Australia
. He took his camera along, photographing life aboard ship and in Cape Town
, South Africa
, where he broke his voyage. Browne's photographs from Australia covered a cross-section of life in the continent; he took pictures of farms, ranches, industries, new immigrants, and members of Irish religious orders who lived in Australia. On his way back to Ireland he visited Ceylon
, Aden
, Suez
, Saloniki, Naples
, Toulon
, Gibraltar
, Algeciras
, and Lisbon
, taking photographs of local life and events at every stop. It is estimated that Browne took over 42,000 photographs during his life.
Father Browne became the Superior of St. Xavier's Church in Dublin upon his return. In 1929 he was appointed to the Retreats and Mission staff of the Irish Jesuits. His work entailed preaching at missions and religious retreats all over Ireland; as most of this work was necessarily performed on evenings and Sundays, he had considerable time to indulge in his hobby during the daytime. He took photographs of nearly every parish and town in Ireland, and also photographed much of London
and East Anglia
during his Church-related travels to England.
Francis Browne died in Dublin in 1960 and was buried in the Jesuit plot in Glasnevin Cemetery
in Dublin. His negatives lay forgotten for 25 years after his death; they were found by chance in 1986 when Father Edward E. O'Donnell, SJ, discovered them in a large metal trunk, once belonging to Browne, in Gonzaga College
Dublin. O'Donnell brought the negatives to the attention of the features editor of The Sunday Times
of London. The amazed editor called them "the photographic equivalent to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls". Browne's total output was over 41,000 photographs.
The Irish Jesuit order, the owner of the negatives pursuant to Father Browne's will, engaged photographic restoration specialists David and Edwin Davison to attempt to preserve and catalogue the fragile and unstable negatives. The Davisons made copies of every negative and eventually also transferred every usable image to a computerized format for the edification and enjoyment of future generations.
Father O'Donnell has authored numerous books containing Browne's photographs on behalf of the Irish Jesuit order.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, Belgian Croix de Guerre SJ (3 January 1880 – 7 July 1960) was a distinguished member of the Jesuit order in Ireland and a prolific photographer. His best known photographs are those of the RMS Titanic and its passengers and crew taken shortly before its sinking in 1912.
Early life
Francis Browne was born in 1880 in CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the youngest of the eight children of James Browne and Brigid Browne (née Hegarty). His mother, the daughter of Lord Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Cork James Hegarty, died of puerperal fever
Puerperal fever
Puerperal fever or childbed fever, is a bacterial infection contracted by women during childbirth or miscarriage. It can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia. If untreated, it is often fatal....
eight days after Francis's birth. After the death of his father in a swimming accident at Crosshaven on the 2 September 1889, Browne was raised and supported by his uncle, Robert Browne, Bishop of Cloyne
Bishop of Cloyne
The Bishop of Cloyne is an episcopal title which takes its name after the small town of Cloyne in County Cork, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it is a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics....
, who bought him his first camera shortly before the younger man embarked on a tour of Europe in 1897.
Education
He spent his formative years at Bower Convent, Athlone (1888–1891), Belvedere CollegeBelvedere College
Belvedere College SJ is a private secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Ireland. It is also known as St. Francis Xavier's College....
(1891–1892), Christian Brothers College, Cork
Christian Brothers College, Cork
Christian Brothers College, Cork is a fee-paying Catholic school under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust in Cork, Ireland....
(1892–1893), St. Vincent's Castleknock College
Castleknock College
Castleknock College is a private , secondary school for boys aged between 13 and 18, which is situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, 8 km west of the city centre in Dublin, Ireland.-History:...
(1893–1897) where he graduated in 1897. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Stanislaus College, Tullabeg on 7 September 1897. He later attended the Royal University of Ireland
Royal University of Ireland
The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the University Education Act 1879 as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on April 27, 1880 and examinations were opened to candidates irrespective of...
.
Upon his return to Ireland, Browne joined the Jesuits and spent two years in the novitiate. He then attended Royal University
Royal University of Ireland
The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the University Education Act 1879 as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on April 27, 1880 and examinations were opened to candidates irrespective of...
in Dublin where he was a classmate of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, who featured him as Mr Browne the Jesuit in Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
. He then studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
The Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy is an institution of higher education and research, located in Dublin, Ireland. Milltown is run by the Jesuits and is located in Milltown/Ranelagh in Dublin...
in Dublin from 1911 to 1916. It was during this period that he received a present from his uncle; passage on the RMS Titanic from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Cork.
Aboard the Titanic
Browne travelled to Southampton via LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, boarding the Titanic on the afternoon of April 10, 1912 in the company of the Lenox-Coyningham and Odell families. He was booked in cabin no. A24 on the Promenade Deck. Browne took dozens of photographs of life aboard Titanic on that day and the next morning; he shot pictures of the gymnasium, the Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
room, the first-class dining saloon, his own cabin, and of passengers enjoying walks on the Promenade and Boat decks. He also captured the last known images of many crew and passengers, including Captain Edward J. Smith, gymnasium manager T.W. McCawley, engineer William Parr, Major Archibald Butt
Archibald Butt
Major Archibald Willingham Butt was an influential military aide to U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Before becoming an aide to Roosevelt, Butt had pursued a career in journalism and served in the Spanish-American War...
, and numerous third-class passengers whose names are unknown.
During his voyage on the Titanic, Browne was befriended by an American millionaire couple who were seated at his table in the liner's first-class dining saloon. They offered to pay his way to New York and back in return for Browne spending the voyage to New York in their company. Browne telegraphed his superior requesting permission, but the reply was an unambiguous "GET OFF THAT SHIP - PROVINCIAL". By a quirk of fate, the denial probably saved his life; as few men in first class survived the sinking.
Browne left the Titanic and returned to Dublin to continue his theological studies. When the news of the ship's sinking reached him, he realized that his photos would be of great interest, and he negotiated their sale to various newspapers and news cartels. They appeared in publications around the world. Browne retained the negatives.
Although his photographs have been described as the Titanic Album of Father Browne and books about the photographs have been published in many languages which describe Browne as a priest, Browne had not yet been ordained at the time he photographed the Titanic.
Later life
After his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest on July 31, 1915, he completed his theological studies. In 1916, the 36-year-old Browne travelled to Europe to join the Irish GuardsIrish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
as a chaplain. He served with the Guards until the spring of 1920, including service at the Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
and at Locre, Wytschaete, Messines Ridge, Paschendaele, Ypres, Amiens and Arras in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. He was wounded five times during the war, once severely in a gas attack, and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and Bar for his valour in combat. Browne took many photographs during his time in Europe; one, which he called Watch on the Rhine, is considered a classic image of World War I. He published a collection of his war photographs in an album named after his most famous photograph and distributed copies to his colleagues in the Guards.
After the war Father Browne returned to Ireland. In 1922 he was appointed superior of Gardiner Street Church in Dublin. Ill health dogged him, however, and in 1924 it was thought that he would recover more quickly in warmer climes. He was sent on an extended visit to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He took his camera along, photographing life aboard ship and in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he broke his voyage. Browne's photographs from Australia covered a cross-section of life in the continent; he took pictures of farms, ranches, industries, new immigrants, and members of Irish religious orders who lived in Australia. On his way back to Ireland he visited Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
, Saloniki, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
, and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, taking photographs of local life and events at every stop. It is estimated that Browne took over 42,000 photographs during his life.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
during his Church-related travels to England.
Francis Browne died in Dublin in 1960 and was buried in the Jesuit plot in Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
in Dublin. His negatives lay forgotten for 25 years after his death; they were found by chance in 1986 when Father Edward E. O'Donnell, SJ, discovered them in a large metal trunk, once belonging to Browne, in Gonzaga College
Gonzaga College
Gonzaga College is a private Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland , under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus . Founded in 1950, the curriculum is traditional, with a broad general programme of subjects including Latin and Greek at junior cycle and the opportunity...
Dublin. O'Donnell brought the negatives to the attention of the features editor of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
of London. The amazed editor called them "the photographic equivalent to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls". Browne's total output was over 41,000 photographs.
The Irish Jesuit order, the owner of the negatives pursuant to Father Browne's will, engaged photographic restoration specialists David and Edwin Davison to attempt to preserve and catalogue the fragile and unstable negatives. The Davisons made copies of every negative and eventually also transferred every usable image to a computerized format for the edification and enjoyment of future generations.
Father O'Donnell has authored numerous books containing Browne's photographs on behalf of the Irish Jesuit order.
External links
- http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org
- Father Browne's Trains and Railways