Two people sat on a boat (I don't know who they are) in a harbour (I don't know where it is), a long time ago (I don't know exactly when). Despite all the unknowns, the picture is a treat.
Three Views And A Dollop Of History
You get three views of Huddersfield for the price of one on this vintage postcard I acquired the other day, but as with all postcards from one hundred years or more ago, you get an awful lot of history as well. Those familiar with Huddersfield, will probably recognise the three views: most of the buildings … Continue reading Three Views And A Dollop Of History
Constantly Updating Amy
This photograph of Amy and Wilf Sykes must have been taken in the mid 1930s. Amy Beanland was born in August 1904 in Keighley, Yorkshire, the eldest daughter of Albert and Kate Beanland (my mother Gladys was Amy's younger sister). Wilf was born in the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, the son of a local policeman. … Continue reading Constantly Updating Amy
Streets Ahead Of Its Time
Street photography is all the rage at the moment. As a photographic genre it is usually said to date from the introduction of miniature 35mm cameras in the 1930s. But this old print - which appeared in a mixed batch of old photographs bought on eBay - dates from at least a decade earlier. It … Continue reading Streets Ahead Of Its Time
Restoring Fixby To Its Rightful Place In The World
I live in Fixby, which today is in Huddersfield. According to Wikipedia, "Fixby is traditionally part of Huddersfield". This is not the case at all - the township of Fixby was traditionally part of Halifax. It was only transferred to Huddersfield (and Kirklees) when the M62 motorway was built and someone decided that the motorway … Continue reading Restoring Fixby To Its Rightful Place In The World
Turning Up The Prince Of Wales
This little albumen carte-de-visite of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who was later to become King Edward VII) turned up in a job lot of old Victorian prints I bought the other week. It dates from about 1862 and comes from the Paris studios of Emile Desmaisons. The print is now over 150 years old … Continue reading Turning Up The Prince Of Wales
Who Is Crossing The North Sea?
One of the most difficult challenges with old photograph albums is identifying the albums creator, as - by definition in those pre-smart phone days - the photographer rarely features in the photographs themselves. In the 1925 Northern Capitals album, there is an intriguing series of photographs taken whilst the cruise ship was "crossing the North … Continue reading Who Is Crossing The North Sea?
Good News For Mothers
I always think that it would be possible to run an entire course in economic and social history based on nothing other than newspaper advertisements. From the perspective of 90 years into the future, I am not sure what is more surprising about this advert from the Yorkshire Evening Post of May 18th 1928. Perhaps … Continue reading Good News For Mothers
alanburnett.com 