S. K. Lawton
Swaminathar Kanagaratnam Lawton (1851–1919), known professionally as S. Lawton, was a well known and popular Ceylonese photographer who pioneered various photographic techniques in his home country of Sri Lanka. He mainly worked and studied in his birthplace in Jaffna where he established his photographic business S.K. Lawton & Co. In 1876.
Also recorded as Swaminathar Kanagaratnam Lawton
S. K. Lawton
Ultimate Trev · Public domain
- Name
- S.
- Birth Name
- Swaminathar Kanagaratnam
- Born
- 1851
- Birthplace
- Manipay, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
- Died
- 1919
- Occupation
- Photographer
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Biography
Biography
Lawton wrote numerous times for the Penrose Pictorial Annual, a London-based review of graphic arts that was printed nearly annually from 1895 to 1982. He was granted a 14-year English patent for his work on preparing paper to prevent its injury during development of the photos. Lawton wrote about the use of fish glue in The Penrose Annual where he discusses how its oxidation over time causes it to gradually make the enamel of the photographic paper tender. He is also the father of Kalaiarasu Kanagaratnam Chornalingam who pioneered acting in Sri Lanka. Lawton married twice and is an ancestor of Russel Arnold, a former Sri Lankan cricket player.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — S. K. Lawton • Birth Name — Swaminathar Kanagaratnam • Born — 1851 • Birthplace — Manipay, Jaffna, Sri Lanka • Died — 1919 • Occupation — Photographer
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1851
S. K. Lawton was born in 1851.
1919
S. K. Lawton died.
Publications
Lawton, S. K. "Process experiences in Ceylon". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 2, 1896, pp. 44–45) Lawton, S. K. "Deterioration of fish glue and its remedies". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 12, 1906–07, p. 96) Lawton, S. K. "A preservative bottle for platinotype paper". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 13, 1907–08, p. 64) Lawton, S. K. "Simplified colour photography". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 14, 1908–09, p. 64) Lawton, S. K. "A simple and expeditious method of making blocks". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 16, 1910–11, p. 109) Lawton, S. K. "Old negatives and their lessons". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 17, 1911–12, pp. 219–220) Lawton, S. K. "When was photography introduced into the East?" (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 18, 1912–13, pp. 132–134) Lawton, S. K. "On faded photographs". (In Penrose's Pictorial Annual, Vol. 19, 1913–14, pp. 47–48)
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- “S. K. Lawton”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article S. K. Lawton, revision 1333410499 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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