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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: johnbarr on Friday 23 February 24 20:03 GMT (UK)
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I would be grateful for any suggestions when this photograph of my Great Grandfather might have been taken. Perhaps the scroll beneath might be a clue?
Joseph Barraclough was a Deputy in Clay mines at New Farnley and lived at Playground.
I'm guessing about 1900 but would welcome any advice.
I have no photo of the reverse side.
Thanks from New Zealand
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Hi John, do you have a DOB and DOD please, men are hard to date but I would guess at late 1890s to early 1900s. Lovely photo and in great condition.
Jim and Gadget will also have an idea.
Carol
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The photo isn't particularly dateable however the cardstock
is Edwardian.
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I think it looks circa 1900 and it must be before 1906 as, when I looked at the records (1901), he was born c. 1844 and died Q1 1906.
Gadget
Add - just read that cabinet cards are rarely found after 1906?
https://www.aarp.org/relationships/genealogy/info-11-2011/dating-old-photos.html
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I've just noticed that the corners are rounded. The link that I gave in my previous post suggests that if ~
it has rounded corners (1870s to 1900) or square corners (after 1900)
Also see ~ http://www.phototree.com/identify.htm
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Here are two of mine for comparison. 1900s on the left and 1890s on the right.
Carol
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It looks as if it's on the cusp, Carol, unless it was old stock :)
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Thanks for your replies Carol, Jim and Gadget.
DOB and DOD were included in the Subject, so Joseph would have been 57 in 1900.
I see the rounded corners suggest 1890s and I guess that is as close as we are going to get.
Thank you for that information, Gadget.
It's a pity the photographers name was not included with the banner beneath the photo, and I thought the background might have been relevant. Obviously not a studio portrait.
John B
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What a wonderful background to a great clear photograph. Now I want to know why there are two stones on the sill one at each corner. :)
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Maybe a donkey stone, crust of bread and drinking water for the birds.
Carol
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What a wonderful background to a great clear photograph. Now I want to know why there are two stones on the sill one at each corner. :)
I did wonder if they were some kind of natural 'donkey stone' ..... if you don't know what that is, then you're not as old as me...... ;D
edit: Carol beat me to it!
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Yes am am old enough, I used to donkey stone the front doorstep when I was at home. when, is for me to know and you to wonder ;D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_stone
Carol
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I expect it is only a reflection but the shadow in the right hand window gives the impression that the right hand donkey stone went straight through the glass!
Rebel
PS I'm from the South and have never encountered the word donkey stone
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Thanks for your comments, shanreagh. I confess to spending some considerable time 'cleaning' the photo to remove spots, stains, cracks and creases ;)
Yes, I wondered about the stones, too and admit I'd never heard of donkey stones - perhaps because most doorsteps in New Zealand were made of wood.
I remember one of my jobs before school each day was to polish the brass front doorstep of my mother's boarding house in Wellington, late 1940s. I imagine Brasso was as popular as donkey stones in it's day. ::)
Thanks for the link to donkey stones, Carol.
I found another with a little more detail.
https://www.silversurfers.com/nostalgia/doing-the-step-with-a-donkey-stone/
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Around the time we think this photo was taken (circa 1900) Joseph and his wife Ann were living at 11 and 12 Playground, New Farnley.
It's possible the photo was taken outside their house. The stone paving with edging looks like it could be a garden path. I suppose anyone could take a photo and get it printed onto a 'Cabinet Portrait' card?
Here is a photo of Joseph's wife Ann outside one of the Playground houses - and it looks like a pile of bricks behind her, ready for some path improvements?
And another photo from 2010 of the same houses.
John B
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Thank you everybody. Great to learn about Donkey stone.
As John said here in NZ we mostly had wooden door steps either covered with brass, or painted just at the ends or left plain. To clean these wooden steps we used sand soap which was like a block of soap with sand in it. You wet the steps and then rubbed the wood, round and round until a thick paste developed. After much rinsing and drying the result was a lovely clean step. The sand soap we used has become a bit trendy (aka$$$). My sister looks on the shelves of small rural dairies and can get supplies. I think they cleaned down kitchen unvarnished tables to same way.
Many thanks
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and the teak decks of sailing ships ::)
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and the teak decks of sailing ships ::)
Aah swabbing the decks of old. ;D