RootsChat.Com
Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Josee on Tuesday 08 July 08 08:14 BST (UK)
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Hi everyone
I have had this photo tucked in the family bible were it has been since at leat 1912. It shows my great uncle's concubine. George was in Equatorial Guinea in 1908 - 1915 when it was under Spanish rule. He was working for Hatton & Cookson, not sure quite what capacity, there was some unpleasantness, and the Spanish Consul and the Foreign Office were involved, the details are not really specific but his concubine was mentioned. Their phrase not mine. I would love for any of you 'photo buffs' to add a spot of colour. Geore used to take back yards of fabric from Manchester where the rest of the family lived. He was living on the island of Elobey off the coast and died there possibly around 1915. The photo itself is on very thin 'paper' and glued onto card.
Cheers
Jo
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Hi Jo
A quick splash of colour from yours truly
Hippy :D :D :D :D
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Wow....
I am blown away I didn;t expect SUCH a change
Thankyou Hippy ;D ;D :D
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hi Josee
What a great pic
Irene
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Nice one Hippy ;)
Dave
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Thanks Dave - muchly appreciated ;D ;D ;D ;D
Added, what I think is, an appropriate border
Hippy :D :D :D :D
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Nice one Hippy nice one.
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Thanks Dave - muchly appreciated ;D ;D ;D ;D
Added, what I think is, an appropriate border
Hippy :D :D :D :D
Sets it off a treat
Dave ;)
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Hi,
Another one for you.
Skippy
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Thats it!!! just show us all up ;D ;D ;D
Dave
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It's a wonderful photo of early 20thC Africa. The lady looks a bit unhappy.
Can anyone make out what is standing by the bananas?
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It looks like a chicken , maybe early KFC.
;D Jim ;D
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What a fantastic thread - great restores and colours, guys!
My son and stepson, apart from marvelling at the improvements you've made think the "thing" by the bananas is a chicken or some other sort of bird - you can pick out its legs and feathery body in the first colour rendition by Hippy.
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Thankyou all so much I am absolutley thrilled. I love the borders plain and ethnic. And the colours are something else. Sensational comes to mind. I am so glad I put the photo on....as for the chicken in the foreground I think that's what it is more of a pullett maybe?
I just wish I had more photos to share but that's it for Uncle's collection. I also have my grandad's photos from Constantinople and thereabouts in the 1920s, I shall try and post them shall I?
Once again thankyou
Jo :D
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Hi Josee,
I was interested to see the photograph that you posted of your great uncle's concubine in Equatorial Guinea. A friend of mine drew my attention to it and I thought I would get in touch to try and find out more about your great uncle. The reason for this is that your great uncle George happens to be a donor to the World Museum Liverpool's African collections and I am doing research on these collections. You and your family might be interested to know what he donated and I would likewise be interested to know more about his background and career in equatorial Africa. Let me know if you would be willing to open up a communication!. Thanks.
Linhope
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Hi Linhope
Well I am very interested, and excited, in anything you can add to Uncle George's life and career. I have a few other snippets to add since the date of these photos.
In order for you to be able to use the private messaging system you need to write 3 messages on this thread....so 1 down 2 to go !! ;D
Looking forward to hearing from you
Cheers
Jo
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I LOVE that photo ... and the restorations of course ! What a wonderful thing to have.
Please don't let the messages from Linhope be private ... I think we'd all like to know more .... if you agree Jo !
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What is the thing like a mega-sized cheese grater on the right by a second bucket ? Is it a stool ? If so, its not quite like any I've encountered in Africa.
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Absolutely Lydart....was mainly to exchange email addresses!!
Sort of thought a couple of peeps would be interested!!!
Cheers
Jo :)
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I have no idea....I look at that often; I thought some sort of grater....but it is a bit large :-\
and if you'r e on the spot as it were..... ::) the perspective shifts sometimes and then I think I'm looking at two separate items?????
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It looks like the bucket is behind the stool .... which has a thin curved wood seat ... but can't work out what the grater bit is !
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That's great Jo and thanks for the tip about the three posts. This is probably only the first chat group I have ever registered with (older generation you know!).
Interesting to hear that you have found further snippets of information.
Cheers
Linhope
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Just reply to this.....J
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Hey, hey ! Look what I've found !!
http://www.randafricanart.com/Asante_stool.html
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Brilliant....... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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This is one of Hippy's resores.
jim
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Good research by Lydart, there is an Asante stool in the picture. Interesting how it might have got there.
Cheers
Linhope
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Although the picture was supposedly of the concubine, and was supposedly taken in Eq. Guinea .... is there any PROOF that these facts are so ? That type of stool is common in what is now Ghana (previously Gold Coast). Guinea is quite close to Ghana, separated only by the old Ivory Coast (now Cote d'ivoire) ...
... and that area used to be known as the white man's graveyard .... perhaps Great Uncle died there of malaria, a common cause of death of the white man ??
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I'm not 100% sure that the lady is George's concubine....although he definitely had one. I have some papers from the National Archives proving that.
George was on Elobey, a small island in the Gulf of Biafra. He was Hatton and Cookson's agent and there are papers from the National Archives documenting his altercation with the Spanish authorities between 1905 and 1908. I also have him on various shipping lists with Elobey as his destination.
As I said at the beginning of this thread the picture was in my family bible ...along with another showing a bush view. George's death was also recorded in the bible.....just no location or date...other than Africa!!!
I'm inclined to agree with the death as a result of fever......I just don't know how to find it!!
Jo
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Can you put up the bush picture too please ? It might have some clues which some of us old 'Africa hands' might see ... ;D
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Yes of course......
I'll have to scan it so bear with me ::)
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It's not brilliant ... :-\
hope you can make out some detail
Jo
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Doh ! I'm an idiot ! I've mixed up Equatorial Guinea (south of Cameroon) with Guinea (West Africa) !! ::)
The 'bush'photo doesn't show much except that its an area that was once thick forest (there are a few very tall forest trees left ... you can see one just right of centre which towers over the nearby buildings) and its probably an oil palm growing area, so the cleared forest and the palms suggest its probably near the coast.
I checked out Elobey Island ... what a dump to be posted ! Wiki suggests its uninhabited now ... but probably delightful for holiday makers.
But the presence of that stool which comes probably from Ghana (Gold Coast) is intriguing. I wonder if its just a random photo he took when travelling ? Or the 'concubine' came from Ghana ?
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...and brought her stool with her do you think? If they were made for each individual it would make sense. Were women included in this, were they allowed one do you think?
Linhope suggested I get in contact with the Hatton and Cookson archive on the Wirral. They may have some more snippets of info.....
...the donations to the World Museum in Liverpool were made by another George, possibly Uncle's predecessor ??? ??? so no direct link for me there!
Uncle George was arrested (and ended up in hospital) by the Spanish authorities , he took offence when they arbitrarily closed down his factory. I'm guessing it was an palm oil factory as there was palm oil business on Elobey at the time, and not much else. Following a series of letters between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Spanish (both in Madrid and on the island) he was given compensation of £70!
The trail ran cold there so I'm not sure what happened next, if anything!!! I don't know when he died exactly but there must be some official documentation somewhere in order that the family back in Manchester were told.
I would welcome any ideas or suggestions of where to look next.
Cheers
Jo
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Was he buried there or here ? As a Brit dying abroad would there be records somewhere of how and why and where ? If it wasn't a British colony then, it may be harder to find info.
Hatton and Cookson might give you information .... there is a page of stuff about them on Google ...
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That's the tricky bit...I don't know. Can't see him in the Consulate returns. And as Elobey was Spanish at the time would he be recorded on them anyway? The family have written in the bible that he died there, in Africa, so unless I can find something in Hatton and Cookson, he remains drifting in the ether!!!
Do you have a link for the page you saw for Hatton and Cookson? It may be extra to anything I've seen so far!!
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Just Mr Googles answer when I put in Hatton & Cookson
http://search.babylon.com/?q=Hatton+and+Cookson&babsrc=NT_ss&s=web&rlz=0&as=0&ac=0