Mystery group photo ... views welcome

[celia]

I think the photo was taken in India.The lady on the right is Indian as is the child.The man on left Obviously her husband wearing cotton Indian trousers.At a guess i would say he was an important person,living in a large house, working maybe for the English government.He is so relaxed in his own back yard and obviously rich.So could  afford landscaped gardens and British hedges.  Hope you find out one day what "The bit of a Do" was

Celia

[Melaniejoy]

I was thinking RAC but not a car in sight and the badges of some of the members are more rounded than the RAC crown.

[sparrett]

The woman in the checked dress is a servant.  She is the children's nanny and this is indicated to the viewer by the fact that she holds the teddy.  In those times objects were often used in photos to denote status or profession for posterity -eg Often a book in hand in portraits to denote literacy etc.

The fact that she appears to be coluored also supports the servant idea for the times.  Her clothing is a little too "loud" for upper class family member's taste.
It is possible that she is a New Zealander.

The photo has been sent back to uk to show "How well we are dong in the Colonies" Sue

[ndedross]

Interesting that no-one is wearing a beard? I'd think it might be taken between the Wars and colonial. There seem to be quite a few wicker chairs (which could have been imported to England, or could be the 'local' furniture).
Is this some sort of Civil Service staff - like a British Consulate? - lined up for their 'official' annual photo. Hence no domestic staff apart from Nanny.

Nigel.

[Paul E]

Hi celia and nigel

I must admit my original thought was 'colnial' but then I was seduced by ideas of labour history!

As for you, Su - shame on you maligning a favourite headgear of mine!

My guess is that, in about three month's time, someone will join Rootschat, find this thread and tell us 'That's my grandfather!'

thanks for all your ideas!

Paul

[redcrystal]

Grrrr!! This is driving me wild!! I am sure I have seen this before. But just the four people in the front. Like a cropped version. I am going to get my mother to have a look and see if she recognises it.

My thoughts...
Lady with white hat and cane, is wife of man with the little girl in between his legs, boy is theirs too.
Lady in white appears to have a bag on her right (our left) so if it belongs to her we could take a guess that they are not at home.
Dark girl... Now I even jumped straight to the thought of servant girl/nanny, but there is a couple of things wrong with that..
First. (in ALL my British India photos) Servants/Maids/Nanny's are not included in the photo. Esp a big event like this was. Usually you see the staff in the background. Strangely most of mine seem to be at the back right of the photos. (the peoples left).
Second. This girl although clashing with others tastes, is too well dressed. The hat and dress are in great condition. I have never seen any of my [India] families servants dressed half that well! (I don't know in England what servants looked/dressed like)
Third. (I have 30++ photos) With some photos(all originals) some of the people look Indian(dark), but then in others you can clearly see that they are white. This darking effect happens a lot when the woman is wearing a hat.
Fourth. Just near the teddy's ear, she has either one of those badges on, or a nurses time piece...
My conclusion is that she is the wife of the man sitting on the far   right of her (our left). He could be the bro of the lady in white.  Pitty I can't see her eyes or I could make a better guestimate.
I have based my guesses that this photo is taken in India.

Liz

[PrueM]

I've only today started reading this thread and I must say it's fascinating!
For what it's worth, here's my two cents' worth:

Date:  around 1915 (going by the women's tops - low necklines - and large brimmed hats).  The lady on the left is wearing more modern clothes than the lady on the right. 

Location:  no idea! 

Occasion:  employees' gathering with the boss's family.   

I think the family group at front is the boss's family.  The fellow to the left of Mother looks like a brother of the boss.  The lady at right is the nanny (thus the teddy bear).  The boy's sailor suit is difficult to use as dating evidence as they were worn right through the Victorian era and beyond.

Maybe these men worked for The Boss, and had just enlisted for active service during WW1?  Or it could just be a company picnic - but in that case I would have thought that the men's families would have been invited too.  Perhaps they were, but they just weren't in this photo.

It reminds me of a photograph from my own family - the Swan brothers had a large sawmill enterprise in Sydney, NSW in the late 19th-early 20th centuries.  This photo is of one of their annual employee functions in 1911. 

Prue

P.S.  I don't think the nanny at right is Asian or Maori - if you compare her skin tone to the lady at left it is almost identical.  She definitely has dark features though, but then again so does my very Anglo-Celtic father-in-law!

[goggy]

Just a pebble in the pond,the badge needs clarifying,they do look colonial,era looks to be late 20,s-early thirties,,thats no Koala,the Lady dont look Asian to me,what sort of foliage,are the badges of the Australian Returned Services League,is the man in 'jammies' having visitors in a hospital???
Having dropped an assortment of pebbles into the formerly calm waters I will now get back to my boiled tripe+onions!!!

[manmack]

if it was a club or lodge,dont you think the badges would all be the same???,they look like old comrades badges to me,ww1 vets,maybe thats why the kid is in his ww1 sailors uniform,they were around just after the war as well,mack