STATHAM

William E. Statham (1816-1899)

The son of Edwyn Statham, a cashier in a Nottingham distillery, Statham is best remembered for his educational science sets for home and school experimentation. The best-known is a series of chemistry sets at different levels with (as the advertisements assure the buyers) perfectly safe chemicals, but he also sold other things and described himself as an “Operative chemist, optician and scientific instrument maker”. His advertisement for the 1867 Paris Exhibition is particularly impressive covering, as it does, chemistry, electricity, optics, etc. The catalogue for the exhibition offers not only the chemistry sets, but also electrical, photographic and electrotype amusement as well as compound microscopes, magic lanterns and model steam engines.

The business began in Islington (London) in the 1850s, but by 1862 was established at 111 The Strand, also in London. There it remained until William’s death in 1899. His son, Francis, was working as an “operating chemist” for the company by 1901 and was running it by 1911. However, it then disappears from the commercial directories and the publications in which normally advertised.