Summer By The Sea

This is based on an old, found photograph of an unknown seaside location. I am not sure where it is, but an area has been fenced off to protect the bathers from boats, or sharks, or some such. The date is probably the 1920s. The filters I have used in this interpretation of the print, … Continue reading Summer By The Sea

Hands And Faces

A detail taken from a found print of a group of unknown women - possibly fellow workers, possibly from the 1920s or 30s. In the main photo they seem to be gathered around a woman holding a banjo wrapped in brown paper. I have chosen to concentrate on a small section of the group, which … Continue reading Hands And Faces

25 Prints (2)

The next five from my shortlist of twenty-five prints, from which I must choose five for a Church Arts and Crafts Fair. In each case, the mix is made up from old and new, near and far.

From Elland To Cleethorpes, With Love

The front of this vintage postcard illustrates The Cross in Elland, that part of the town where roads from here, there and everywhere came together. The few words on the reverse of the card provide clues to the movement of ordinary folk - to here, there, and everywhere - that was a common feature in … Continue reading From Elland To Cleethorpes, With Love

25 Prints (1)

Whilst I was at the pub bar buying a round of drinks, it appears that I was volunteered to create some prints to sell at a Church Arts And Crafts Fair in June. On sober reflection, I decided on a series of five small A5 prints, but which of my various photographs should I choose? … Continue reading 25 Prints (1)

Conversations With My Grandfather

I've always found that the march of technological innovation has been faster than anything I could reasonably predict. I remember in the very early days of computers, speculating that one day - in the distant future - it would be possible to have all the knowledge stored in the full Encyclopaedia Brittanica, available on a … Continue reading Conversations With My Grandfather

Water Is Best

An article in the Illustrated London News of the 13th August 1859 reminds us of the gift of a water fountain to the people of Halifax by Joseph Thorp. The fountain was erected in People's Park, where it stands to this day. Whilst such a gift, two or three centuries earlier, might have been mainly … Continue reading Water Is Best

Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist

Here is another of those wonderful old picture postcards of Halifax from the turn of the twentieth century, which provides an insight into both the public persona of the town and, at the same time, the private persona of its citizens. The public persona is provided by the front of the card, posted in May … Continue reading Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist

Mad Dogs And Englishmen Go Out In The Midday Snow

This is a familiar scene to anyone who knows Halifax, and many of the buildings remain little changed to this day. The clothes are different, the shops are different, and the buildings at the bottom of the street are long gone, but the fine looking neo-gothic building on the right of the photograph is still … Continue reading Mad Dogs And Englishmen Go Out In The Midday Snow