A Golden Age
Blackberrying

Blackberrying

This is one of my favourite photographs in our collection, three children blackberrying in a country lane. A lovely, beautifully composed image of childhood in rural, Victorian England. Wonderful! Enjoy this original photograph from our archive. It is low resolution...

The Daisy Field

The Daisy Field

This hand-coloured Victorian photograph was published by an award-winning professional photographer as a glass projection slide in the 1890s. It was, in an industrial age, a reminder of a simpler, rural, gentler past. One hundred and thirty years later, we love it for...

Yacht Racing on the Norfolk Broads

Yacht Racing on the Norfolk Broads

What a wonderful photograph, taken in the early 1900s, of yachts racing on the Norfolk Broads. At this level, it was, and still is, a rich man's sport but sailing, even in the smallest dinghy, is truly exhilarating. It's interesting that despite the motion of the...

Family Fun in Duntocher

Family Fun in Duntocher

This photograph was taken in Duntocher, a village to the north west of Glasgow. It's well over one hundred years old but this delightful family scene could have been taken yesterday (although the clothes would be somewhat different), with a child playing in the water...

Solitude

Solitude

This lovely photograph, taken in the 1890s, captures a moment of tranquility and solitude. The young lady has found a spot by an old mill, perhaps to read a book. A few water-powered mills and factories remain in the UK, most as heritage attractions and a handful as...

The Haycocks

The Haycocks

This lovely photograph, taken in the 1890s, shows part of the haymaking process. The grass has been cut by hand with a scythe and is being gathered into haycocks, which are easier to load onto a cart than loose hay. This photograph was posed (the young ladies are...

Waiting for the Ferry

Waiting for the Ferry

This delightful photograph, taken in the 1890s, shows two women passing the time of day, chatting, waiting for a ferry. This would have been a familiar scene in many rural areas, where a ferryman used a rope to pull his boat across the river. This particular...

A Summer’s Day

A Summer’s Day

What could be better than lazing in a punt, in glorious Summer sunshine? This posed photograph dates from the 1890s. The photographer has attempted to recreate a carefree time which, if it ever existed, was only for the wealthy few. Nevertheless, he captured a moment...

Bringing in the Harvest

Bringing in the Harvest

Britain in the 19th century was an industrial nation but also had a rural economy employing vast numbers of men, women and children in labour-intensive, physically-demanding work. At harvest time, whole families shared the task of cutting, gathering, transporting and...

The Hay Wain

The Hay Wain

The Hay Wain is probably John Constable's most famous painting. It captures a rural scene in southern England in a pre-industrial era. Victorians were nostalgic for such peace and tranquility and this photograph, taken by a professional photographer in the 1890s for...

Leigh-on-Sea Cockle Beach

Leigh-on-Sea Cockle Beach

This is the cockle beach at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex but, far more importantly, it's a precious moment shared by a young girl and her grandfather, captured forever by a Victorian photographer. Enjoy this original photograph from our archive. It is low resolution and has...

St. Ives’ fishermen

St. Ives’ fishermen

St. Ives in Cornwall is known for its picturesque town and harbour, the Tate Gallery and even for hosting a G7 meeting of World leaders just around the corner in Carbis Bay. However, in Victorian times it was, quite simply, a fishing village. Here we see the...

The Towpath, Elland

The Towpath, Elland

We're used to strolling or cycling along picturesque canal towpaths but that wasn't their original purpose and they are called that for a reason. In this romatic study of a canal barge, taken in the early 1900s, we see the horse in the distance, pulling the boat. What...

The Sailing Ship

The Sailing Ship

This remarkable Victorian photograph was, I suspect, taken as an artistic study rather than a snapshot of ships in dock, as whilst the subject matter is interesting, the composition is masterful. It is, of course, a sailing ship, moored safely in a harbour, in deep...

Weston-super-Mare Pier

Weston-super-Mare Pier

This is a delightful view of the pier in Weston-super-Mare. Today, Weston has one of the 'newest' Victorian piers in Britain as, following a disastrous fire a few years ago, it has been renovated and modernised. The sign over the entrance says 'The Bioscope'. Cinema...

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