Photos by De Freyne of Liverpool for dating please

[eglejok]

De Freyne of Liverpool

[PeterES]

I have a photograph with De Freyne Studios on the back, which was in a box of family photographs.  The man looks very like my grandfather, John Littleton born 1896, and the lady not unlike my mother, born 1920. My grandparents were married in 1918, but I'm wondering if the couple could be my grand-father's parents, married in 1894.  Do De Freyne Studios date back to 1894?  The back of the photograph has the number 29051.  Compared with the examples above 71829 and 98631, 29051 would be many years, probably decades, before either of those.  However, my grand-father and his father were Nottinghamshire coal miners, which makes one wonder how they might have afforded the clothes they are wearing, and how they came to be in Liverpool having a photograph taken.

[Treetotal]

Hi Peter and welcome to Rootschat, Going by the ladies footwear, this looks to have been taken in the 1920s. Lovely image. A hi-res scan at about 600dpi of just the lapel badge could help to identify the male sitter.
Carol

[jim1]

Agree with Carol.
I would suggest late WW1 - early 1920's.
I wouldn't put it any later.

[PeterES]

Thanks Carol and Jim.  I followed up the distinctive lapel badge and it is the Sherwood Foresters.  My grandfather joined up on 9th September 1914 and was discharged 38 days later as 'not likely to become an efficient soldier'.  My grandmother is the lady in the photo.  Her sister Gertrude married Thomas Carter 3rd June 1918, and he was killed in France just 4 months later on 8th October 1918, she married again but not for 11 years.   The date of Circa late WW1, 1918 or so, looks to be fairly accurate: My grand-parents married 26th December 1918, I guess the photograph, around 1918, is either their engagement, or around their marriage, they were married at Mansfield, Notts., so I'm still wondering how they came to be in Liverpool having their photograph taken. 
Thanks to RootsChat, and to you all for your help, which allowed me to make a positve identification and dating.  Peter