This is Harry Elk. We know that because someone has kindly written his name under his photograph. A date would have been nice, an address would have been better, perhaps even over generous. A quick check of census records results in nobody of that name with a date of birth around the turn of the … Continue reading A Second Look At Harry Elk

My third £1 purchase from the second hand stall in Slaithwaite was this delightful nineteenth century carte de visite from the London Studio of the society photographers William and Daniel Downey. William Downey (1829-1915) was born in South Shields and worked as a carpenter and boat builder before opening his first photographic studios in South … Continue reading Five From A Slaithwaite Stall : 3. Lady Ormonde.

There used to be a a shop in Huddersfield called something like "Global International Mobile Phones And Repairs", which sounded all very grand, but was no more than a little chap in a broken down room with a counter made from a piece of wood balanced on two packing cases. Trades and industries that are … Continue reading Five From A Slaithwaite Stall : 2. In The Limelight

We were in Slaithwaite yesterday visiting the excellent Slaithwaite Art Festival, and afterwards called in one of the many antique emporiums in the village. There I found on one of the stalls a fine collection of old Victorian photographs. I managed to limit myself to just £5's worth, and came away with five excellent examples … Continue reading Five From A Slaithwaite Stall : 1 Pendlebury Wave

This is Fred and Hazel walking along the promenade in August 1932 (there are people out there who will recognise which promenade it is, and - in the great traditions of the internet - will tell me). George V has just opened Lambeth Bridge and Forrest Mars has just produced the first Mars Bar. Aldous … Continue reading 86 Years On The Prom

How this particular photograph found its way into my collection, I have no idea. I do, however, know who it is a photograph of, and that is George Grayham. We also know that George was an "old friend", as written on the back of the postcard sized print is "from an old friend, George Grayham". … Continue reading From Your Old Friend

Studio Postcard of Unknown Woman : The only clue to the identity of this woman is a dedication on the reverse, "From Mary". The uniform she is wearing suggests that she was a munitions worker in World War I - one of the almost 1,000,000 women who went into the factories of Britain to make … Continue reading Mary The Munitionette