The development of photography in the nineteenth century provided us with a unique window through which we could view history. Before that, we only had the imagined faces of our ancestors or, if you were lucky, a fanciful artist's portrait or two. By the 1860s, when this little photograph of mine was taken, you had … Continue reading Documenting History
Category: Victorian Portraits
A Face For Three Centuries
In a small way, restoring old photographs is a bit like bringing people back to life. Rescuing faces, figures, stances, and backgrounds from the slow decay into faded, sepia obscurity is quietly satisfying. Just look at that face: formed in the nineteenth century, photographed in the twentieth, and restored in the twenty-first century.
The Grocer Of Mirfield
I bought this old Victorian studio portrait by the Huddersfield photographer William Sellman for a few pence from a second-hand stall. A written caption identified the sitter as the delightfully named Booth Denton, who turns out to have been a prominent grocer from Mirfield, a couple of miles down the road from where I live. … Continue reading The Grocer Of Mirfield
Mona Lisa-ish
There is something slightly Mona Lisa-ish about this Victorian portrait of an unknown woman. Her eyes follow you like a stalker, and her smile is enigmatic enough for a codebreaker. The Mona Lisa is, of course, priceless and is said to have an insurance value of over a billion dollars. The Victorian photograph cost me … Continue reading Mona Lisa-ish
The Lady And The Dachshund
There is something strangely modern about this photograph from the studio of the Hebden Bridge photographer, Crossley Westerman. It probably dates from the period following the First World War when the studio was run by Westerman's daughter, Ada, and the young Alice Longstaff. I'm not sure how I acquired the photo, but I like to … Continue reading The Lady And The Dachshund
Dicka Smith
There's a name scribbled on the reverse of this early 20th century portrait from the Clark Studio of Blyth: "Dicka Smith." Given the time and place, there is a fair chance that Dicka was a miner. The strange object that seems to be supporting him was just one of the studio props that were popular … Continue reading Dicka Smith
Mrs Foggin’s Bust
This is a scan of one of the Victorian prints I bought - for pence rather than pounds - when I was in Newcastle recently. On the back is a label headed "The Great Britain Art Co" with a name, Mrs R J Foggin, and a set of instructions for reprinting: "As copy, not so … Continue reading Mrs Foggin’s Bust
Mother, When Young
This lovely lady appears on the second of the ten Victorian photographs I bought whilst I was up in Whitley Bay. The only clue to her identity is a pencilled caption on the reverse of the photograph stating "Mother When Young". Try taking a photo like that on your smartphone!
Mrs Hall Of Newsham
Whilst in Whitley Bay, I found a rather good second-hand shop with a small selection of Victorian photographs for sale. The price negotiation was complicated by my profound deafness and the shop-owner's challenging regional accent, but a price was eventually arrived at. Here is the first of the ten photographs I bought. A pencilled caption … Continue reading Mrs Hall Of Newsham
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