Itinerant photographers

[John6000]

All the photos I have of my family before 1930 were either taken in studios or by itinerant photographers, who would set up there tripods in the streets and develop pictures in a few minutes. Many pictures were taken at doorsteps in good weather. They also worked in parks, at beaches and other popular venues.

I attach one photo of my great-grandfather, Charles Shaw, his brother-in-law, John Hemming, and Charles sones, Tom and Charlie. Date c.1910.

The other photo is from c.1934, with Grandmother Nellie Hawkins, Aunt Elsie Wilson (née Daykin, still going strong at 104) and my mother Dorothy Milton. What surprises me is that they look so dirty and scruffy! Why didn't they get changed into something better and cleaner? It almost looks like a survey photo of the poverty of the Birmingham working class in the Depression, though Nellie and Elsie smile in their poverty, and, though she doesn't have money to buy new clothes, they don't look hungry.

Any ideas and comments on the above are welcome.

John

 

[mikejee]

I would think very likely that was the best they had.

 

[Morturn]

Wealth inequality was still quite high in those days despite the government beginning to improve the social infrastructure. While I accept it is difficult and complex to measure wealth inequality, we see the country, despite the recent depression was not doing to bad at the time, but it was how the money was held by a narrow circle of elites.

Around the turn of the century, most wealth was with about 16% of the population, but it was a very polarised split. You either had an abundance or were in poverty.

So, it is likely that they did not have a Sunday best set of clothing. In terms of “they don't look hungry”, that’s more to do with food availability. Starvation and famine are usually caused by food shortage. The range of food was quite limited to staples such and bread and potatoes veg and some meat. It was not quite the golden past that quite a few people on the social media platforms imagine it was.

 

[Pedrocut]

Whereabouts were the pictures taken ?
This may give you an idea.

 

[jukebox]

John 6000. Sorry I have to disagree with your comments on these photos! Comparing them with my many pics from that era I would think that they ARE all dressed in their 'Sunday Best' the boys in their suits with starched collars and bow ties and the men in their suits and bowler hats with the man on the left sporting his watch chain. The girls' photo was suffering from too much sepia so I've tidied it up. Two delightful photos and a credit to your family.

 

[Astoness]

i agree with you jukebox very often old photos can give a very different impression....as you say the one with the girls is suffering from to much sepia which can make the skin look (as our mom would say) grubby...you did a nice job of tidying/lightning it up a bit
...
lyn

 

[Pedrocut]

Looks to me that the gentlemen’s hats are not what they would normally wear. They look well kept.

 

[splinter555]

Looks to me that the gentlemen’s hat are not what they would normally wear. They look well kept.

Looks to me that the gentlemen’s hat are not what they would normally wear. They look well kept.

I have photos of our family from the 1950,s and the clothes look a bit grubby, but I know we were kept spotlessly clean by mom. I think it's the quality of the old black and white cameras.

 

[Eric Gibson]

I'd guess the males were pre-arranged and posed the ladies just caught casually.

 

[Vivienne14]

The clothes of the females just look crumpled to me. We forget that the fabrics at this time were not easy care, lots of ironing and starching involved using very mechanical devices at best, sometimes hand washing. So to get the clothes clean would have been priority, with ironing low on the list of household chores in a busy family with no help. Bit like my house today, actually!

 

[Richard Dye]

Wealth inequality was still quite high in those days despite the government beginning to improve the social infrastructure. While I accept it is difficult and complex to measure wealth inequality, we see the country, despite the recent depression was not doing to bad at the time, but it was how the money was held by a narrow circle of elites.

Around the turn of the century, most wealth was with about 16% of the population, but it was a very polarised split. You either had an abundance or were in poverty.

So, it is likely that they did not have a Sunday best set of clothing. In terms of “they don't look hungry”, that’s more to do with food availability. Starvation and famine are usually caused by food shortage. The range of food was quite limited to staples such and bread and potatoes veg and some meat. It was not quite the golden past that quite a few people on the social media platforms imagine it was.

I think the other part of the equation was the affordability of the goods/clothes for the major % of the population. There will always be and has been those elites with lots of money, regardless without some of them we would be without many of the things we enjoy. I’m not being political here just pointing out the cold hard facts. Take Henry Ford, Bill Gates & Elon Musk ( I am not a fan of any) but what they did and continue to do made life a better place for all of us. From my perspective, if there are no leaders, we certainly would not need any followers.

 

[Richard Dye]

The clothes of the females just look crumpled to me. We forget that the fabrics at this time were not easy care, lots of ironing and starching involved using very mechanical devices at best, sometimes hand washing. So to get the clothes clean would have been priority, with ironing low on the list of household chores in a busy family with no help. Bit like my house today, actually!

Back in the day (not to long ago 1980’s) I wore a suit and tie to work every day, preferably white shirts. I would put on a freshly starched shirt, drove to work about 30 minutes and the shirt was full of wrinkles. Today I wear the same shirt ( when I need to), 100% cotton, non iron, looks great all day including a humid Southern US July day!

 

[John6000]

Whereabouts were the pictures taken ?
This may give you an idea.

I should have said: St Voncent's St, Ladywood.

 

[John6000]

Wealth inequality was still quite high in those days despite the government beginning to improve the social infrastructure. While I accept it is difficult and complex to measure wealth inequality, we see the country, despite the recent depression was not doing to bad at the time, but it was how the money was held by a narrow circle of elites.

Around the turn of the century, most wealth was with about 16% of the population, but it was a very polarised split. You either had an abundance or were in poverty.

So, it is likely that they did not have a Sunday best set of clothing. In terms of “they don't look hungry”, that’s more to do with food availability. Starvation and famine are usually caused by food shortage. The range of food was quite limited to staples such and bread and potatoes veg and some meat. It was not quite the golden past that quite a few people on the social media platforms imagine it was.

John 6000. Sorry I have to disagree with your comments on these photos! Comparing them with my many pics from that era I would think that they ARE all dressed in their 'Sunday Best' the boys in their suits with starched collars and bow ties and the men in their suits and bowler hats with the man on the left sporting his watch chain. The girls' photo was suffering from too much sepia so I've tidied it up. Two delightful photos and a credit to your family.
View attachment 202791 View attachment 202795

Many thanks for tidying it up!

 

[John6000]

John 6000. Sorry I have to disagree with your comments on these photos! Comparing them with my many pics from that era I would think that they ARE all dressed in their 'Sunday Best' the boys in their suits with starched collars and bow ties and the men in their suits and bowler hats with the man on the left sporting his watch chain. The girls' photo was suffering from too much sepia so I've tidied it up. Two delightful photos and a credit to your family.
View attachment 202791 View attachment 202795

Yes, I should have been more clear. The men and boys did have time to change and are in their Sunday best. Indeed, it was was probably taken on a Sunday as they were not at the factory, Bulpitt's. I can hardly imagine my grandmother welcoming a stranger to take a photo, particularly in her old clothes. I wonder how the photographer got that smile from her. The photos were taken in St. Vincent's St., Ladywood.

 

[Vivienne14]

Possibly going to/returning from church ? What better time to take photos of people in their Sunday best. The older man has his fob watch on and as he has no tie on, perhaps he'd removed it as they'd just returned from church or other occasion.Two precious photos. I prefer less staged photos like these, gives a better sense of the people and times.

 

[Richard Dye]

Possibly going to/returning from church ? What better time to take photos of people in their Sunday best. The older man has his fob watch on and as he has no tie on, perhaps he'd removed it as they'd just returned from church or other occasion.Two precious photos. I prefer less staged photos like these, gives a better sense of the people and times.

Absolutely agree with your analysis!