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Unexpected treasure from the past.

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Since my husband has been wasting time and money working in the basement, it was inevitable he’d discover some treasure. And for the first time in a long time… I’m not being sarcastic when I say that.

To my delight, he came upstairs the other day with these.

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A box full of old photo albums given to me by my late father’s sister years ago when she was moving. She gave us all kinds of unwanted things that were basement bound but these must have gotten mixed in with the rest, and sadly I’d forgotten all about them.

The photos are old, taken in England between 1910 and 1920… and just for fun I thought I’d share a few.

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My father as a boy. A well dressed dapper little lad, no?

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My grandfather and my aunt. Another dapper gentleman.

Unfortunately I never met him, as he died when my dad was 10 years old.

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My grandmother and another aunt.

I was 2 when my grandmother passed and have no memory of her. It may have been the era, but I don’t possess a single photo of her smiling either.

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My grandfather with two unidentified children. Apparently one of them was a daisy.

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My father loved the sea, as is evidenced by him taking the tiller at an early age.

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This is his older brother, who clearly was only trusted with toy boats.

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My grandmother and uncle. Oh, that hat!

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My grandfather, left, with an unidentified man in Cuba. Pops was a world traveler.

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My grandfather and father. Did no one ever smile for pictures back then?

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My father, building his own mini Stonehenge in Cornwall.

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44 thoughts on “Unexpected treasure from the past.”

  2. “Stonehenge” looks like an attempt at a simple labyrinnth. I wanted to build a real one in our back yard. Gail said no. It would have made it impossible to mow. Now, because of medical conditions. I can’t mow the yard anyway. I should have built the labyrinth.
    I think it was the preponderance of pictures like this that caused photograhers to say, “Cheeze.” Cheeze I’m glad they prefer smiling subjects, even if the smile is fake!

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  3. I love these photos soooooo much!!! The hats! The clothes!!

    LOL at the daisy!!!

    I recall that people originally didn’t smile because the pic exposures were so long that the pose was hard to hold. I’m guessing that style carried over for quite awhile. I wonder when smiling became the norm.

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      1. Here’s a better answer (thank gobs for google)

        “Experts say that the deeper reason for the lack of smiles early on is that photography took guidance from pre-existing customs in painting—an art form in which many found grins uncouth and inappropriate for portraiture.

        “…it took until the 1920s and ’30s for smiles to start becoming the standard expression in photographs.”

        And a theory on the timing is people showing off teeth due to improved dental care.

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  5. If you look at these a little closer, you will see an effect that was WAY ahead of its time: a 3D effect. The people all look distant from the objects behind them….not distant as in measurement, but distant in a 2D look.

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      1. I know right? I have have all these photos in black and white from my dads side of the family and I have no idea who they are. The only one who possibly knew was my dad and he’s no her anymore 🥺.

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  18. These are treasures!!
    I think they didn’t smile because it took so long for the photographer to get the actual photo. Maybe?
    Your Grandfather died young, and I remember you saying your father passed away while you were young too? Am I correct?
    The men all took time to dress properly back then. (women too I suppose-what a different world it was!)
    How about the DOG in that pic with your G’ma and Aunt; I’ve never seen such a big head on a dog.

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    1. My grandfather died at 54 when my father was 12. My father died at 68 when I was 15. They were both older parents by today’s standards.
      As for not smiling, I think it was more about living in a serious era. No frivolity allowed.
      😉

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