Some years ago, I acquired a small collection of glass negatives - photographs taken in and around Glasgow between the early 1920s and the mid-1930s. Today’s image comes from that collection and shows the University of Glasgow and Kelvingrove Park. It feels especially fitting, because I’m travelling up to Glasgow today to spend a few … Continue reading Glasgow Days
Tag: Old Photographs
Albert And Gladys
This is a photograph of my parents, Albert and Gladys Burnett, which must have been taken just under a century ago (it makes me feel old just writing that!). In his 20s, my father was a keen cyclist, whilst my mother was more of a reluctant one. By his 30s, he had graduated to motorbikes, … Continue reading Albert And Gladys
Bank Holiday Monday
The wind and the rain have finally cleared, so I no longer have to rely on old photographs for my daily calendar. Happy Easter, everyone.
Albert And The Machine
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
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
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