The photograph was taken 70 years ago at Mackintosh's factory in Halifax. It shows a group of mechanics and engineers proudly gathered around the latest wrapping machine they have installed. My father, Albert, appears to be the proudest of the lot (seated just to the left of centre). The machine looks like it could launch … Continue reading Albert And The Machine
Tag: Old Photographs
The One On The Right Has It
As a photographer myself, I've always been fascinated by photographs of photographers. In the first place, there is a rarity value to them: we are the ones who take the photos, not feature in them (perhaps this is why we become photographers!). Secondly, I'm on the lookout for that look, common to all photographers as … Continue reading The One On The Right Has It
Ivy And The Celebrity Ladies Orchestra
When I was young, my Auntie Annie would tell me tales of her cousin Ivy, who played in an all-women's band. I never met Ivy, and her side of the family remained a mythical branch located far away on the other side of the Pennines. A few years ago, I received a box of old … Continue reading Ivy And The Celebrity Ladies Orchestra
Real People, Real Lives
Whilst photographs may start out life as things that are intensely personal - this is Aunty Vera, this is our holiday - after a century or more pressed in an album and becoming sepia with age and neglect, they become things of interest to us all. The scene, the clothes, who is there (and who … Continue reading Real People, Real Lives
Three For The Price Of One
I wanted something cheery for Friday the 13th - there is enough bad luck and misery going on around us at the moment without me adding to it. We also have a Sepia Saturday prompt this week that features family groups, so here is my brother (left), my mother, and I (I'm the cute one … Continue reading Three For The Price Of One
The Girl With The Throwaway Glance
19th century photography is photography of the constrained: studio photography of fixed poses, fixed smiles and fixed emotions. The twentieth century brought cheaper cameras and that meant photography of the people by the people. Of the people leaning against a wall with arms folded, of the girl with the throwaway glance, of the dog snoozing … Continue reading The Girl With The Throwaway Glance
Still Collecting
My passion for collecting old photographs recognises few bounds, and a few years ago I managed to acquire a small collection of the original negatives of "stills" from British films from the 1940s and 50s. Such photographs were taken during filming in order to prepare the publicity photos that would be displayed outside cinemas. You … Continue reading Still Collecting
On The Slopes
Photography was made for groups. Get a group together - be it a group of friends, family, fellow workers, or ten-pin bowlers - and one of the first reactions is to get out a camera and record the moment for posterity. Group Photographs is one of the themes for this week's Sepia Saturday, and my … Continue reading On The Slopes
The Sea, The Sea
My mother loved the sea. Go within salt-spray distance of the coast, and you would find her paddling along the shoreline, watching the waves come in. My brother sent me this photograph of her the other day from his island home, way across the ocean. It's been a good few years since I've seen him. … Continue reading The Sea, The Sea
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