RootsChat.Com

Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: suecee on Friday 05 May 23 14:01 BST (UK)

Title: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: suecee on Friday 05 May 23 14:01 BST (UK)
Sorry for the poor quality. This is taken of a large framed photograph at an angle to avoid reflections.
I have three known possible candidates as I am assuming that he was the father of one of my greatgrandparents.
Neither my photo dating book nor online searches have shown anyone dressed like this. The nearest I can get is probably no earlier than 1840.

He is holding a small hand scythe so I am guessing he was a rural worker. The three candidates are
William Floyd 1788-1870 (ag lab) b. Sussex
Henry Clifton 1817-1885 (gardener) b. Sussex
John Miles 1848 -1909 (woodsman) b. Worcestershire

Any help would be much appreciated
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: japeflakes on Friday 12 May 23 07:52 BST (UK)
At a GUESS, gardener but....
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: purlin on Friday 12 May 23 09:24 BST (UK)
Judging by type of clothing I would also go with gardener
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: Treetotal on Friday 12 May 23 14:04 BST (UK)
I would say that Jon Miles is the most likely but seeing the whole photo including the back would help with a date.
Carol
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: suecee on Saturday 13 May 23 10:45 BST (UK)
My gut feeling is that it is John Miles as, despite living in Sussex, my great grandmother was in Worcestershire in 1903 when she had her third child so obviously was still close to her parents and likely to have kept mementoes of them.

I don’t have this photo, I just managed to photograph it at the time. It was part of a treasure trove of photos, oil portraits, pencil portraits and family papers that were found when clearing my uncle’s house in 2008.
The above came from the homes of my great grandparents on both my grandmother’s and grandfather’s sides.
The unknown gardener was a very large print sealed in a frame and hung on a wall so nothing to see on the back as far as I can remember. I’ve been able to identify many of the photos (all unlabelled/undated) but this eludes me.

I also have an unidentified photo in a tiny broken locket which I kept. I think it may be of the same person as a young man. It is in poor condition but can anyone see his clothing well enough to date him and tell one way or the other.

Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: hoobaloo on Sunday 14 May 23 12:52 BST (UK)
Your photo is distorted so I've guessed the ratio and cleaned it a little.  Don't know about the dating but looks to be a little later than any of your date ranges, regards, John.
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: suecee on Wednesday 17 May 23 15:10 BST (UK)
Thanks for doing that hoobaloo
It was a long shot trying to get some kind of date for the old gardener or locket man.
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: hoobaloo on Wednesday 17 May 23 15:43 BST (UK)
Thanks for your reply, I meant to mention he looks like Nick Hall; one of the "experts" in "Bargain Hunt", regards, John.
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: oldfashionedgirl on Wednesday 17 May 23 21:23 BST (UK)
The thing that jumped out at me was that the locket has a black inner frame which made me wonder if it was to remember a young man who had died ?
Therefore it couldn’t be the old gardener.
Title: Re: help with dating "old gardener" please
Post by: suecee on Thursday 18 May 23 09:18 BST (UK)
There isn’t actually a black frame round the photo it is just the way it’s photographed. The glass front of the locket is gone and the photo sits a good 3mm down and the inside ring is a grey base metal colour which appears darker than the more reflective gold.
So they could still be one and the same.

Is it possible to date locket man with what little clothing one can see?