This rather stern looking lady was captured by the Heckmondwike studio of John S Shaw. John Shaw was born near Halifax in 1815, and for most of his working life was a farmer in Staffordshire. Only when he was in his sixties to he return to his native West Yorkshire to climb aboard the commercial … Continue reading John Shaw And The Photographic Bandwagon
Category: Pictures From Nowhere
Memories Of India
Three photographs from an album of photos and postcards from India in the 1930s. They come from a family album which was put together by my wife's uncle, Jim Carthew, and has been kindly lent to me by his granddaughter. I am slowly working my way through the album, scanning the photographs as I go. … Continue reading Memories Of India
Looking On
Hidden away at the corner of a throw-away old photo is a haunting image that transcends time and place. The child looks on and, in turn, we look on, whilst the supposed subjects look at us.
What A Picture
Where I got this old photograph of the staff of the Manchester Hotel in Bournemouth at their Staff Ball on the 1st January 1921, I have no idea. But what a picture it is, what a story it has to tell.
Dripping With Meaning
Photo trouvée : noun - an image found by an artist and displayed with no, or minimal, alteration as a work of art. I'm no artist, but I could put together a pretty good case to suggest that this is a work of art. In the best traditions of "objet trouvée", I found it amongst a … Continue reading Dripping With Meaning
The Age Of The Smile
Photograph Of Unknown Family - 1920s/30s Smiles - smiles on photos, at least - were a twentieth century invention: smiles on the faces of the subjects of Victorian photographic portraits are as rare as Trumpian truths. The reason was partly that Victorian cameras could only cope with fixed expressions - but it was also partly … Continue reading The Age Of The Smile
A Bottle, A Radio And A Map Of Latvia
A photograph of unknown origins, subject and date - a true "Picture From Nowhere". Two men in suits, just the hint of a bottle, a radio of certain antiquity, and a map of Latvia pinned to the wall. What in earth is the back story?
Cruising Faces
I am not sure where this little print came from - no doubt it was part of some job lot of old photographs I bought. It shows the crowded deck of a boat, and must have been taken at some point in the 1920s. It could be a ferry, but the people seem a little … Continue reading Cruising Faces
Through The Viewfinder
This photograph comes from a collection of old photos bought as a job lot on eBay for less than the price of a pint. I am a great fan of the novel "Sweet Caress" by William Boyd, and as soon as I saw this photograph I thought of Amory Clay, the heroine of that fine … Continue reading Through The Viewfinder
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