This is quite an unusual shot for a variety of reasons. Let's forget for a moment who these four people are, and where they were: both are unknown and not massively important in the great scheme of things - especially to the lover of old lost and found photographs. We do have, however, quite a … Continue reading Framed By A Window
Category: Pictures From Nowhere
The Tomb Of The Unknown Civilian
The attraction of old photographs of unknown people is the very fact that they are unknown: sepia coloured blank canvases upon which we can paint whatever story we like. This young Edwardian man could be anyone's Grandfather or Great Uncle ..... or he could be a Great War poet mentally penning his ode to Armageddon. … Continue reading The Tomb Of The Unknown Civilian
Having A Great Time In Margate
This is a joyous photo. I have no idea who the people are, but they are striding away from the Marine Bathing Pavilion in Margate. At a guess, we are in the late 1920s, although, again, I can't be sure about that. What we can be certain about, however, is that they are having a … Continue reading Having A Great Time In Margate
Fashion Statement
Three girls on a pebbly beach. Whoever took this photograph captured a classic image without knowing about it.It became a small print, destined to fade into sepia age, pasted in an album, gradually forgotten and then left to make up the numbers in a job lot of old photos. Probably the 1940s, just possibly the … Continue reading Fashion Statement
Three On A Boat
We can't do smiles like we used to. Despite our endless ability to preen ourselves in front of app-laden mirror lenses, we could never match the enigma-rich smiles of this unknown trio, captured on a Bristol Channel paddle steamer in the 1920s.
The Classic British Seaside
The classic British seaside: sands, sea, boats and buckets. It doesn't matter where it is or when it is. It can be a precious day snatched from the steam-filled clutches of a Victorian mill, or an escape from a Corona-driven lockdown. I have photographs of my Uncle Frank and Aunty Miriam sat on a beach … Continue reading The Classic British Seaside
Core Values
Happier days, when social distancing was all about getting your deck chair as near as possible to your loved ones. Times when faces weren't covered, but head were. Eras when a tracking app was nothing more than a core left on a railway line.
Greetings From Holywell Green
I acquired this old photograph a couple of weeks ago. It's a rather fine photograph of a large Edwardian family posing outside a terraced house. My interest in it was sparked in particular, by the address printed on the reverse - like so many photos of that era it was printed as a postcard - … Continue reading Greetings From Holywell Green
On Saving The Soul Of An Unknown Woman
Collecting old photographs of people you don't know and have no connection with, is an odd way of passing the time. It ranks up there with lamp-post collecting and knot-tying - and a little behind old-time sequence dancing - as a legitimate way of keeping the mind active in old-age. There is, however, an element … Continue reading On Saving The Soul Of An Unknown Woman
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