Keith Mott pays tribute to
Anthony Bolton – the ‘Master’
It was very sad hearing about the passing of Anthony Bolton on 26th February 2011. It is my opinion that the great Anthony Bolton was the pioneer of good quality pigeon photography and was the greatest pigeon photographer ever! Tony was a perfectionist and it came through in his wonderful pigeon portraits, which now hang on many thousands of pigeon fanciers' living room walls throughout Europe.
I had not seen Tony for many years, but we had had a good association since 1970, when I first came into pigeon racing. In the early 1970s, I can remember Phil and I driving through Richmond Park to the Bolton residence near Hammersmith bridge in Barnes to have our current winners photographed almost every winter. He inspired me to take up pigeon photography, but compared the ‘Master’s’ work, mine were rubbish and never came close to his perfection!
I could not begin to imagine how many times his perspex pigeon photography box, with the turn table floor, has been copied by would be photographers through the years and the patience he must have had to produce those wonderful stances on his subjects. I had been into photographing pigeons for many years, mostly to enhance my own articles in the fancy press, but in the 1980s when I wanted a colour portrait of my thirteen times winner Champion ‘Kenny’, I took him over to Barnes for Tony to photograph. Tony was so pleased with the finished photo of the old grizzle cock, he featured it on his stand at the BHW Blackpool Show the following January.
In Tony’s day he never had the luxury of the use of a computer to do his pictures; he used film and touched up his wonderful work by hand! In recent years he cut his work down, mostly woring on the Continent and with his late wife, Audrey, moved into the ‘Dumptom’ farm house, near Broadstairs in Kent to enjoy his semi-retirement. There are many excellent pigeon photographers in the sport today, but Anthony Bolton was the ‘Master’ of them all. Below are four examples of his work.
Scout - raced by Pierre Dordin - France. 1st National Angouleme; 1st International San Sebastian; 3rd National St Vincent.
Hermana - raced by Fear Bros - Clandown. 1st, 8th, 12th and 15th National Palamos.
Knightsdale Lady - raced by Reg Churchill - Weymouth. 1st, 6th, 10th, 15th, 17th and 57th Palamos.
