Peter Le Neve Foster (1809–1879) was an English barrister and mathematician. He is known as an innovative secretary of the Royal Society of Arts, and a pioneer photographer of the Calotype Club.[1]

Likeness printed in The Illustrated London News, 8 March 1879.

Life

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Born 17 August 1809, he was the son of Peter le Neve Foster of Lenwade, Norfolk. He was educated under Dr. Edward Valpy at Norwich grammar school. He went on to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, graduating in the mathematical tripos in 1830, and being elected Fellow of his college.[2]

In 1836 Foster was called to the bar, and practised as a conveyancer. In 1853 he became secretary to the Society of Arts, as successor to George Grove, a post he held for the rest of his life. With Henry Cole, Charles Wentworth Dilke, and others, he was heavily involved with the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and its successor 1862 International Exhibition. He was also connected with work on several of the earlier exhibitions abroad.[2]

Foster was an early amateur photographer, and was one of the founders of the Photographic Society.[2] With Roger Fenton he organised in 1852 the first photography exhibition held by the Society of Arts.[1] He served for 13 years as secretary of the mechanical science section of the British Association. He served as President of the Quekett Microscopical Club in 1869. He died at Wandsworth, Surrey, 21 February 1879.[2]

Works

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Foster was a contributor to scientific and technical journals; in the Journal of the Society of Arts he wrote a good deal, but generally anonymously. He read two papers before the Society, one on "Aluminium" (1859), and the other on the "Electric Loom" (1860).[2]

Peter Le Neve Foster Lecture

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The Peter Le Neve Foster Lectures is an annual lecture series for the Royal Society of Arts, given since 1938. It was founded with money left by two of Foster's children, Reginald and Mary.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b John Hannavy (16 December 2013). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Routledge. p. 541. ISBN 978-1-135-87327-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Foster, Peter Le Neve" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. ^ a b Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 86, No. 4470 (22 July 1938), p. 890. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41362751
  4. ^ Lord Gorell, Journal of the Royal Society of Arts Vol. 87, No. 4522 (21 July 1939), pp. 924–925. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41362592
  5. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 90, No. 4622 (18 September 1942), p. 657. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41359947
  6. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 91, No. 4632 (5 February 1943), p. 121. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41361672
  7. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 92, No. 4665 (12 May 1944), p. 277. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41362869
  8. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts Vol. 94, No. 4705 (23 November 1945), p. 2. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41402197
  9. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts Vol. 97, No. 4783 (3 December 1948), p. 23. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41363725
  10. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 98, No. 4813 (27 January 1950), p. 203. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41364048
  11. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of ArtsVol. 99, No. 4835 (1 December 1950), p. 25 Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41365054
  12. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts Vol. 101, No. 4891 (23 January 1953), p. 131. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41365001
  13. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 104, No. 4977 (11 May 1956), p. 459. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41368447
  14. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 105, No. 4993 (21 December 1956), p. 69. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41368526
  15. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 105, No. 5015 (25 October 1957), p. 923. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41366173
  16. ^ "Women as Writers." Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, vol. 107, no. 5034, 1959, pp. 378–386., www.jstor.org/stable/41366470.
  17. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 124, No. 5243 (October 1976), p. 689. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41372394
  18. ^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts Vol. 112, No. 5095 (June 1964), p. 469. Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce JSTOR 41369379
  19. ^ RSA Journal, Vol. 141, No. 5439 (May 1993). Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. JSTOR 41376074
Attribution

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainStephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Foster, Peter Le Neve". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.