Biography

George Poole was a Panorama proprietor and nephew of Charles (1821-1877) and George Walter Poole (1828-1877).

George was the second son of agricultural labourer John Poole (1817-1889) and his wife Matilda Poole (1824-1899).

John and Matilda had five sons Joseph (1847-1906), George (1849-1929), Henry (Harry) (1850-1925), Charles William (1858-1918) and Fred (1867-c1907), all of who followed their uncles’ footsteps into the Panorama business from a young age.

In 1870 George partnered up with his older brother Joseph and they started to travel their own Panorama under the name Messrs. Strange and Wilson, name they adopted in agreement with their uncles to avoid confusion between their shows, which ran in parallel. In 1878, not long after the death of their uncles, Joseph and George changed their business name to Joseph and George Poole, probably upon the acquisition of the Poole and Young company from their aunt Ellen, who inherited her husband’s George Walter business, after his death.

Messrs. Joseph and George Poole run several shows including two Dioramic shows, two Phantoscopic shows and by 1899 a No. 1 Myriorama Company, managed by his son Joseph Wolseley Poole and a No. 2 Company managed by his brother in law Fred Mayer.

George stopped travelling the show in 1881. George had a son Arthur Cecil Poole (1874-1889).

Found in 1 Collection or Record: