Category: Pictures From Nowhere

History Seeps In Lowestoft

I was in Lowestoft a couple of weeks ago and I probably walked past the studio where this portrait was taken 140 years ago. Like so many Victorian photographs, history seeps out of its sepia salts.

Big Jimmy

Sometimes photographs of unknown provenance come with a minimalist caption. In this case we are told that the subjects of this photograph - which dates from the late 1920s - are "Harold, Florence and Big Jimmy". Big Jimmy: could any name be more suitable?

The Porthcawl Ventriloquist

This is a scan of a tiny print from an equally tiny album of photographs taken in Wales in the early 1930s. This particular print is captioned "The Ventriloquist, Porthcawl : Whit Monday 1932". "Tommy Porthcawl" - whose real name was Sydney Valentine - was famous for his sketches and ventriloquist act on Porthcawl beach … Continue reading The Porthcawl Ventriloquist

Sitting On A Boat

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.

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?

Northern Capitals 16 : Arrival In Oslo

  The caption under this photograph states "Oslo and the SS City Of Nagpur from the mountains". The camera lens clearly was not up to the challenge: either that or the ship has sunk beneath the sepia waves. This time the caption says "Carl Johans Gate, Oslo - with the Grand Hotel". I instantly recognised … Continue reading Northern Capitals 16 : Arrival In Oslo

Between A Rock And A Hard Place

A group pose for a picture - their identity and the location has long since faded into obscurity. Wherever they are, they are caught between a rock and a hard place, with the sun shining down

First Cousin To An Impression

Unknown Man On A Hill (1920s) The older the photo, the less detail it conveys, the more dust and scratches it has acquired: all of these often conspire together to lift a photographic image to another level, so it becomes first cousin to an impression.