Carriage

[winstoncunningham]

Dear All,

Have found this photograph, about which we know very little - would be very grateful for a restore and colour - plus any thoughts on date, and which country this could have been taken in - so that we might begin to piece the story together.

Thanking you in advance,
WC

[PrueM]

Hi WC 

By the lady's hairstyle and clothes, I'd plump for a date between about 1905 and 1915 at the latest.  The carriage puller struck me first as looking Melanesian, so I thought this picture might have been taken in New Guinea, but more realistically I think it's somewhere in Africa.  He doesn't look Asian at all (at least not to my untrained eye!)

Hope that helps a bit - others will no doubt have lots more ideas.

Cheers
Prue

[winstoncunningham]

Many thanks Prue,   

Family folklore has this shot being taken in Ceylon, but I agree that seems unlikely.

Regards
WC

[LizzieW]

It might be Ceylon.  My dad brought me a parasol from Ceylon when he came back from Burma after WW2, which is just like the one the lady has.  I've a book about Ceylon as it was in the 1930s/40s if I can find it which might have a photo of a man similar to the one in your photo.

Lizzie

[winstoncunningham]

Thanks Lizzie

On the blow up, we can just make out the word ''Rickshaw' on the man's armband, which would also point to Asia - thanks for looking in your book if you can.

WC

[winstoncunningham]

Another thought - I have just googled ''Rickshaw'' and it appears there has been for many years a roaring tourist trade in Zulu Rickshaws in Durban, South Africa - could that be the answer?

WC

[hepburn]

Here's one from the Boer war, titled "somewhere in S Africa"

[oldhippy]

He’s wearing rather elaborate head paraphernalia. Just wondering if anyone might be able to identify the county by the plant life on his head.  At first I thought it was part of the foliage on his left side, on closer inspection I can see something like a string on the side of his face and going under his chin.

Rickshaw number looks like D 761

[jaytoot]

Here's a restore. If anyone just fancies doing the colouring then feel free to use this.

Jim