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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Patricia Houghton on Sunday 09 February 25 11:38 GMT (UK)
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I have just received a box of photographs and as usual no names are written on them.
This one intrigues me so much and I know next to nothing about the sitter
What I do know is that the photograph was taken at Hinchcliffe & Co, 273 Scotland Road, Liverpool.
It is mounted onto card and is around 6 1/2 inches by 4 1/4 inches in total size. There is a lovely advertising picture in beige and red on the reverse of the premises
Around what year was it taken
What is the thing he has dangling on his watch chain, is it important
Any other clues anyone can extract from this picture would be great to hear about, no matter how small
Thank you in advance
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Can't help much but can i suggest it might be at a wedding because of his button hole.
LM
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Hs clothing suggests 1890s. jacket, waistcoat and trosuers all match and the trousers have central creases. His neckwear is also of this age.
He looks in his early 20s and this is possibly a wedding photo of the groom.
Gadget
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PS
the object attached to his chain is a fob. The chain and fob is often referred to as an Albert
he designation of what constitutes an “Albert” is fairly loose these days. Some use the term to refer to more or less any pocket watch chain, though in general, an “Albert chain” describes a typical pocket watch chain that has a “drop” - a small additional section of chain descending from the T-bar that attaches to a waistcoat (or jacket lapel). This short length of chain terminates in some kind of adornment, normally referred to as a “fob”. Historically, these were sometimes badges of affiliation of some form or other (family, military, club, or university crests), though the most common variety would probably have been purely ornamental.
https://www.dalvey.com/blog/the-albert-pocket-watch-chain?srsltid=AfmBOoqWYT3SgXO-NSVyCT8y_VpVrSceDx-yJxDa9DWa-IUwBqmdXHPs
Gadget
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Your description of the back sounds like this date too but to get a closer estimate, could you scan the back, please.
Gadget
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Here is the reverse as requested.
Thank you for giving what you have so far, t has been really enlightening
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Hmm - A good history of the Hinchcliffe family here (various spellings) :
https://www.cartedevisite.co.uk/photographers-category/biographies/g-to-l/john-hinchcliffe/
Ramsden Hincliffe seems to have been at the Scotland Rd studios mid 1880s-1901
also an image of the back ~
Interestingly, at one point, Ramsden had his studio illustrated on the back of his cabinet card mount. Unfortunately the building no longer exists. See the following image.
(the same as your back)
No date given though :-\
I'll give a guess of early - mid 1890s
I'll see if I can find any more.
Gadget
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He seems to have a ring on his third or fourth finger ofhis left hand. I can only see the thumb and 3 fingers. The fourth one is maybe hiding. Did many men wear wedding rings in those days??
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I saw that ring too, it looks to me to be on his 4th finger as I thought I could just see his third finger, using the knuckles as a guide.
So I am assuming the ring is some sort of signet ring
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I saw that ring too, it looks to me to be on his 4th finger as I thought I could just see his third finger, using the knuckles as a guide.
So I am assuming the ring is some sort of signet ring
Looking at it enlarged, the thumb is hiding the first finger, so it 's on the fourth finger.
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So if we are agreed that it is on the 4th finger, could it just be the wedding ring for his future wife that he has placed there for safekeeping before the marriage ?
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I'm not sure about that. It certainly looks a dainty ring.
Did you see the photo of the whole back in my link to the family history of the Hinchcliffes?
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Yes, it is lovely and much clearer than mine. Someone had stuck paper all over the back with some awful glue to keep the 2 parts of the picture together and it had lost quite a bit of the imagery from the back image because of it.
The front of the picture was also equally in 2 parts but my husband had managed to do a "clean stitching" process using photo editing across his middle well above the pocket watch chain and well below the tie where the crack was, to make it a complete picture for me to upload
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I thought the tie looked Scottish pattern wise.
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The framed picture on the chair next to him must have some significance, it looks like a ship with sails to me.
ADDED: Looking at it again it could be the inside of a hat ;D
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This struck me as being a far from typical photo from the late 1800s, when portraits were very solemn affairs. The man is very confident and has adopted a nonchalant pose, with one hand in his pocket. That certainly looks like a wedding ring, though I don't believe wedding rings were normally worn by men at that time, and what about the gloves that he is holding? Could the object earlier referred to as a picture actually be a hat with the inside lining showing? This does suggest some formal occasion.
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Besides the gloves, is he holding something like a pointer in his hand which could be connected to his profession?
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I had not seen the pointer in his hand - well spotted.
Could it possibly be a little paintbrush, it looks to be about 7 or 8 inches long
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Possibly a slim paintbrush or a pencil? Interesting... Some idea of his profession, maybe? It's not a carpenter's pencil, as these are rather chunky and sometimes 3-sided.
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I thought at first that he was holding some sort of stick in his left hand and this was joined to the diagonal line down by the chair but they do.not line up. I think what looks like a stick is actually just a finger of a glove seen edge on.
The thing on the chair is certainly a hat as no well dressed man would be without a hat. I think a bowler but might be a top hat. I cannot figure out what the image on the lining of the hat is.
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I do wonder if the lining of the hat is just pleated inside and it suggests there to be an image when there is none ?
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I agree with Spelk.
The gloves in the hand are just a pair of gloves with the finger parts showing. No sign of a pencil or anything else. It could also seem inappropriate to have a pencil or a brush in such a formal photograph.
I enlarged the hat and played with the contrast, etc. but I couldn't get any words up. It's most likely the lining of the hat with the makers details. Also, there is what looks like a cane leaning on the chair which would make the accessories of gloves, hat and cane appropriate for a special occasion, either belonging to the 'sitter or props provided by the photographer.
Gadget
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It does look as though there is some significance in the fact that the lining of the hat is on view, when you would expect to see the crown. Is there something important about it? In such a staged photo there would be no room for mistakes such as leaving the hat upside down, so to speak. Also what is the rather blurred item on the lower left of the picture? It could be flowers, but there is a strange shaped part sticking out on one side. And yet another question - what is the curved and patterned object on which the hat is resting? It looks like carpet or heavy paper.
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The hat is resting on a chair. The tapestry seat cover held in place by a neat row of brass tacks is typical of the time and still to be seen on old furniture.
The inside of the hat may be shown just to show it was lined, maybe with silk, when cheaper hats may not have been.
On the left of the picture is a fireplace. Mantle near the top with a fringe around it. At the bottom is what is probably Fire Dogs which stood in front of the fire to stop logs or coals rolling out onto the floor. Behind the lady with the big boobies is th handle of a poker or some other item for tending the fire.
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Thanks for the explanation, Spelk. :) Now I can see that the hat is indeed resting on an upholstered chair which has a patterned stripe down the middle of the cushioned bit. I do have an eye test booked for next week, which would seem necessary! But the lady with... , etc. ! ;D
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Fire dogs example. Also known as Andirons.