It's Fathers' day here in the UK, so today's picture is in honour of my father. Taken over 90 years ago, the photograph shows a man who is both a stranger and also familiar - an older man I knew well, dressed in a younger man's clothes. I look at him and see some of … Continue reading Albert
Tag: Old Photographs
Down The Sepia Path
This is an old sepia photograph, taken from one of the many old album pages that litter my room. Many people believe that the sepia colour that characterises photographs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is the result of fading over time. This isn’t actually the case; sepia toning was specifically introduced to … Continue reading Down The Sepia Path
Small And Wide In The Arctic
At first glance at this old family photograph, you might think something went wrong with the print's dimensions: everything appears far too wide for its own good. However, that was my grandmother, Harriet Ellen Burnett, and she really was very small and very wide. And that was the door of her house on Arctic Parade … Continue reading Small And Wide In The Arctic
Waiting For The Cable To Drop
This is an old photograph, picked at random from the boxes and drawers of old photographs I live with. There is nothing special about it - I have no idea who Mac and Burbidge were - other than that it sums up everything I love about old photographs. I could no doubt feed it through … Continue reading Waiting For The Cable To Drop
Yes, It is Me
What finer representation of 1950s Britain can there be? It's the summer holidays and the family's annual week at the seaside (in this case, Bridlington in Yorkshire). The weather is such that plastic raincoats and heavy overcoats are standard issue. People sit on deck chairs and stare out at the grey, rain-soaked clouds. And the … Continue reading Yes, It is Me
Four Characters In Search Of a Narrative
Another image from that collection of old photographs I've acquired over the years, which fall under the general heading of "Found Photographs". As usual, the questions of who, where and when must go unanswered - but that means we can make up our own stories. These are four characters in search of a narrative.
The Celebration
This photo has been in that suitcase of memories I call the "family archives" for as long as I can remember, and I always assumed the cake was celebrating the birthday of one of my relatives born in 1851. On closer inspection, it doesn't say 1851 on the cake - it says 85. Given that … Continue reading The Celebration
Revealing Dress
You can have great fun with artificial intelligence by asking it to transform a familiar picture of your favourite relative into an image of a 19th century Victorian gentleman - or whatever you like. More revealing, though, is taking a century old studio portrait and using AI to dress the subjects in modern clothing. My … Continue reading Revealing Dress
The Maid And The Watchers
This photograph, which I suspect dates from the 1920s, was in an old album I bought on eBay. The first thing to capture your attention is the maid, enjoying a moment of freedom - or sunshine - before returning to her duties in the big house. Then you notice the watchers. Who are they? And … Continue reading The Maid And The Watchers
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