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Our photo dating expert, Jayne Shrimpton, analyses your family photos.
Gordon Martin sent us his photo and asked:
‘I would be grateful of your expert opinion as to when this family photograph was taken. The photograph includes my great-grandmother Mary Martin (nee Biggs) who was the postmistress at Mells, Somerset. Mary died in 1914.’
Click to enlarge
Jayne says:
‘This is a picturesque scene depicting Somerset village life at the beginning of the 20th century. An amateur photographer may have taken the photograph using a new camera such as the Box Brownie, introduced in 1900. Amateur snapshot photography was still relatively uncommon in the Edwardian era, however, so I think it is more likely to be the work of an itinerant operator.
Travelling photographers would tour rural areas with their equipment, photographing residents and tradesmen in villages and hamlets that had no permanent photographic studio. Usually subjects were photographed in the street, outside their home or at their place of work. The resulting images comprise some of the most interesting pictures of the past to survive today, representing everyday life and real locations.
I am not aware of the format of this photograph; if it is printed on a postcard mount with a line running down the middle, then its earliest possible date is 1902. Otherwise, where information is lacking, the only way of dating such scenes accurately is to date the visual image.
In the vast majority of cases, this entails establishing a timeframe for the dress that the people in the picture wear – their hairstyles, clothing and accessories. The most fashionably-dressed person here is the young woman to the right, with the dog. She is rather formally attired in a smart bodice, skirt and hat characteristic of the early Edwardian era. In particular, her wide flat collar, the style of her sleeves and shape of her wide-brimmed hat date this image firmly to c.1901-05.
Jayne Shrimpton
Also pictured here is a middle-aged lady, wearing the sober black garments that were often favoured by older Victorian and Edwardian ladies. I am guessing from her comfortable seated position in the front garden of the post office that she may be your ancestor, the postmistress. Perhaps the young man next to her is a post office assistant or her son, while the fashionable young woman could be her daughter. Hopefully you will know from your family records whether these suggestions are plausible.
Outside in the road are passers by who were no doubt known to Mary Martin and who appear to have stopped to be included in the photograph. The lady wears the usual everyday Edwardian outfit of blouse and tailored skirt, while, judging from this digital scan, her child could be a boy or a girl. Her bicycle would have been a convenient and modern way of travelling around at a time when only a wealthy few owned motor cars. Bicycles were seen as affording women more freedom and independence and came to be associated with the so-called ‘new woman’ of the early 20th century.
As we know from the book and TV series Lark Rise to Candleford, set during the 1890s, just a few years before this photograph was taken, the post office was often the hub of village life and no doubt your great-grandmother was a prominent member of her community. This photograph demonstrates the strong links that exist between family history and local history. If you haven’t already done so, it might be good to share this image with local and family history societies covering the Mells area.’
If you’d like to send your photo to Jayne Shrimpton, please register or opt to receive newsletters in ‘my account’. Jayne only has time to analyse two photos each month, but if yours wasn’t chosen this time, you could be lucky next month!
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Please note: This post has originated from a news feed from an external website.
Family Tree Forum neither endorses nor is responsible for the views of the author or any other content.
Gordon Martin sent us his photo and asked:
‘I would be grateful of your expert opinion as to when this family photograph was taken. The photograph includes my great-grandmother Mary Martin (nee Biggs) who was the postmistress at Mells, Somerset. Mary died in 1914.’
Click to enlargeJayne says:
‘This is a picturesque scene depicting Somerset village life at the beginning of the 20th century. An amateur photographer may have taken the photograph using a new camera such as the Box Brownie, introduced in 1900. Amateur snapshot photography was still relatively uncommon in the Edwardian era, however, so I think it is more likely to be the work of an itinerant operator.
Travelling photographers would tour rural areas with their equipment, photographing residents and tradesmen in villages and hamlets that had no permanent photographic studio. Usually subjects were photographed in the street, outside their home or at their place of work. The resulting images comprise some of the most interesting pictures of the past to survive today, representing everyday life and real locations.
I am not aware of the format of this photograph; if it is printed on a postcard mount with a line running down the middle, then its earliest possible date is 1902. Otherwise, where information is lacking, the only way of dating such scenes accurately is to date the visual image.
In the vast majority of cases, this entails establishing a timeframe for the dress that the people in the picture wear – their hairstyles, clothing and accessories. The most fashionably-dressed person here is the young woman to the right, with the dog. She is rather formally attired in a smart bodice, skirt and hat characteristic of the early Edwardian era. In particular, her wide flat collar, the style of her sleeves and shape of her wide-brimmed hat date this image firmly to c.1901-05.
Jayne ShrimptonAlso pictured here is a middle-aged lady, wearing the sober black garments that were often favoured by older Victorian and Edwardian ladies. I am guessing from her comfortable seated position in the front garden of the post office that she may be your ancestor, the postmistress. Perhaps the young man next to her is a post office assistant or her son, while the fashionable young woman could be her daughter. Hopefully you will know from your family records whether these suggestions are plausible.
Outside in the road are passers by who were no doubt known to Mary Martin and who appear to have stopped to be included in the photograph. The lady wears the usual everyday Edwardian outfit of blouse and tailored skirt, while, judging from this digital scan, her child could be a boy or a girl. Her bicycle would have been a convenient and modern way of travelling around at a time when only a wealthy few owned motor cars. Bicycles were seen as affording women more freedom and independence and came to be associated with the so-called ‘new woman’ of the early 20th century.
As we know from the book and TV series Lark Rise to Candleford, set during the 1890s, just a few years before this photograph was taken, the post office was often the hub of village life and no doubt your great-grandmother was a prominent member of her community. This photograph demonstrates the strong links that exist between family history and local history. If you haven’t already done so, it might be good to share this image with local and family history societies covering the Mells area.’
If you’d like to send your photo to Jayne Shrimpton, please register or opt to receive newsletters in ‘my account’. Jayne only has time to analyse two photos each month, but if yours wasn’t chosen this time, you could be lucky next month!
More...
Please note: This post has originated from a news feed from an external website.
Family Tree Forum neither endorses nor is responsible for the views of the author or any other content.