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Your right Annie, it is great. I have used it many times as a reference work to date family photographs and for helping my ten year old do his home work.

The goods displayed for sale are interesting as well as the prices given, for instance you could purchase the boys cotton Tunic Suit that I have quoted in the posting to Jonathan at either 5/11d or 6/6d.

I have picked out a few of the items shown in the catalogue to give you an idea on what was on offer through the Army & Navy stores at this period.

Gentleman's Silk Top Hat, 1st quality..17/9d

Boys Jack Tar sailor suit (with hat) started at 14/0 for 3-4 year olds up to 18/9d for 11 year olds.

The Ideal Landau (this was a pram) upholstered in American leather cloth could be obtained for £3. 8s.0d.

The Sandringham (another pram or to use the A&N wording a "perambulator") panelled wooden body, upholstered in White American leather cloth with Tangent spoke bicycle wheels and brass handle £8. 18s.0d.

or you could retire to your games room whereby you could pot a few ivory balls (4/0d each) on the Billard table that you had purchased at £52.16s.0d and whilst you were playing the game you could sip on your Maderia at 26/- for a dozen bottles (11/6d a gallon) or for something more lighter for the ladies you could have drank some Californian wine, "Zinfandel" at 17s a bottle (my favorite tipple at the moment although now it will cost you between four & five pounds a bottle).

finally, you could have purchased an American Colt revolver for the gun cabinet at £4.00 to sit next to the double barrelled shot gun which would have cost you £45.0.0.

Hi Millerina,

Going by the style of dress for both of the subjects I would say that the photograph's were taken sometime between 1885 and 1905. A large time span I know but the sleeve style on the womans dress, known as a Leg of Mutton started to come back into fashion from 1880 and started to fizzle out about 1901. The cut and style of the mans jacket suggests the latter part of the 1890's as it is similar to that sold by the Army and Navy stores in 1898.

As for the date of the photographic studio, John Hart had his studio at 179 City Road EC between the years 1886 to 1898 and at 181 City Road EC between 1889 to 1905.

At the moment I can not find out when he had his studio at 15 Market Place Leytonstone E.

Hope that this is of some help.

old rowley

I would go along with you on your thinking of the date of 1890. The dress of all four sitters does not help at all really (well not for me anyway) as bow ties were worn from at least the 1850's, whilst wing collars were worn in the 1870's to at least the 1930's. Both of the elderly sitters sport watch chains which I believe were/are known as Albert's (named after the prince consort I think) and all three men have facial hair styles that fit in anywhere from 1860 to 1915 (by the 1890's side whiskers were seen mostly on older men while younger men had moustaches as beards had started to decline in vogue). As for the child I would suspect that it is a he and male children of his age were dressed accordingly for some time after 1900.

old rowley

Hi Gazza,

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) the writer was as you say from Dorset there is a museum to him in either Wool or Wareham I can not remember which, I visited it years ago also some where near  Abbotsbury/ Chesil Beach area high on a hill top is the Hardy memorial but for the life of me I cannot remember to which one it is ment for (I have the information somewhere I will have to have a proper look for it).

Captain Thomas Masterman Hardy b1769 d1839 was Nelson's Flag Captain at Trafalgar.


old rowley