For several years I have been collecting old photo albums. One day I hope to discover why! Today I found one from the years immediately after the Second World War.
It was clearly created by a fairly prosperous family and there's a picture of a retirement do at an engineering works and foundry where some of the men are wearing those high Edwardian style shirt collars.
I take it they either owned or managed the plant. I have no idea where it was but from their holiday destinations (Norfolk, the Lake District, the Scilly Isles, Land's End) I'd guess they came from somewhere in the Home Counties.
This photo dates from 1951 (towards the end of the album) and is captioned 'four generations'. Since the lady is clearly 70 or 80 she was probably born in the 1870s.
It is strange to come across an image of an ordinary woman from such a distant era.
Jonathan Brind