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.
Category: Pictures From Nowhere
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
The When Question
As with so many of my old photographs, I have no idea who this person is, nor where the photograph was taken. The "when" question, however, is far more inviting, and the lady in question whispers "1920s' to me.
So Much Life, So Little Space
You never see this kind of look these days: today it's all smiles and Facebook filters. This little Victorian print is less than two inches by one, but it manages to pack so much life into such a confined space.
Mother And Child
This rather beautiful studio photograph that somehow found its way into my collection must date from the early years of the twentieth century. There is something about the look and dress of the woman that hints more towards Great War munition worker than Victorian housewife. There is an indented studio name near the bottom of … Continue reading Mother And Child
Message To My Wife
At first I thought that this was one of the hundreds of lost and abandoned old photographs that I provide a home for. They live in boxes and cases, they hang in filing cabinets and folders; they create a hazard to anyone trying to navigate their way through my office. Every so often I reach … Continue reading Message To My Wife
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