Sepia Saturday 89: W. Barnes & Co shop front

After a lengthy break from blogging - my last contribution was seven weeks ago - I will resume my weekly Sepia Saturday posts with a gentle start. Alan Burnett's photo prompt displays a Sydney, New South Wales shop front in 1934, and is titled "Depression Bread Wars: Corner Shop ..."


Despite the wealth of perhaps far more interesting themes that I could explore, I'm instead going to share a sedate photograph of a shop front from my own collection, one which has little in common with that sad scene from the Depression era. It is a loose paper print (149.5 x 109.5 mm) which may at one time have been mounted on card, although all sign of that has long since disappeared, along with its provenance and any external identification of the subjects.

The shop front is that of W. Barnes & Co who, according to the signs, offer a full range of services: glovers, general drapers, milliners/hat specialists, mercers and tailors. I'm guessing that it's winter as they are offering "warm winter gloves" and "jumpers." The group arrayed in and around the front doorway consist of two men and six women. From the women's hairstyles, I'm guessing that it dates from either just before or during the Great War, say between 1910 and 1916ish. A tradesman's bicycle with the firm's name on it is leaning against the window. The shop forms the ground floor of what appears to be a three-storey building. The doorway and the left hand display window are illuminated by electric lights. The pavement is formed, but a little uneven, and the roadway looks to be rather muddy.

If anyone knows where W. Barnes & Co. plied their trade, or can ferret out further clues as to their location, please do leave a hint in the form of a comment below. For the moment, we'll have to just enjoy the photograph, and perhaps some others offered over at Sepia Saturday.

Buckeye Baby's Bombardier Bud and Philomena's Sweetheart Pin

Print of unidentified woman mounted in cardboard folder
by A Seaman & Sons
It's not often that I feature portraits on Photo-Sleuth from as late as the Second World War, but this reflects a paucity of such photographs in my own collection, rather than a lack of interest on my part. Mark Scanlon sent me scans of this portrait of a smartly dressed young woman taken at the studio of A. Seaman & Sons in the latter stages of the war. The print (60 x 80mm) is mounted in a cardboard folder (177 x 128mm, open) with a King George VI crown embossed on the left hand side, and the studio stamp with negative number (90301) on the reverse. Handwritten on the inside cover is the following message:

Not very good. but it serves its purpose - if you know what I mean!! - Happy landings Bud -

Backstamp from the studio of A Seaman & Sons
Sadly, although the name of the studio, the negative number and other text is visible, I can't quite make out the studio location, which I believe must be on the last line. Alfred Seaman's great-grand-daughter Anne Williams informs me that although her grandfather F.J. Seaman was operating the Chesterfield studio in the 1940s, it was under his own name, rather than the original title. She believes that probably the only branch which might have been still practising under the "A. Seaman & Sons" moniker at that time was the Scarborough studio, run by her uncle. It is perhaps worth noting that the stamped negative number is in a very similar style to that used on the reverse of a postcard portrait from the firm's Sheffield branch in 1936.


Click to enlarge
The photograph was amongst the war papers of Mark's father William Morgan (Bud) Scanlon, who served as a B-17 bombardier in the 401 bomb group, 613 bomb squad, flying 30 missions out of Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom between August 1944 and April 1945. Mark says, "He obviously knew this woman, and she him! ... I regret not getting into this research years ago when dad would have been able to provide the actual story. Bud died 9 Sept 84, much too young at 61."

The woman's clothing and hairstyle fit well with the "Wartime look" as described by Geoff Caulton on his excellent PhotoDetective web site. Her "lifted" hairstyle, pinned at the back, and arched eyebrows - plucked and shaped, no doubt - were typical fashion for the period.



Image of Bombardier Badge © and courtesy of Iain Williams
At first, seeing the "winged" badge on her lapel, I wondered whether the woman was a member of some branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF), but this page demonstrates that the badges worn by members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) were quite different. Besides, she is probably wearing civilian clothing, rather than a uniform. Further investigation, and comparison with this display of Aviation Wings from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and a fine collection of America Aviator Wings presented by Iain Williams, identified the badge as that of a Bombardier in the United States Air Force (USAF). A further selection can be found on Bob Schwartz's web site Aviation Wings and Badges of World War II.


Letterhead, Lt. William M. Scanlon & "Buckeye Baby"
The natural conclusion is that Bud gave his Bombardier's badge to this woung woman prior to his departure, I suppose therefore making it a "sweetheart pin." Mark writes further:

I code-named the mystery woman Phylis because my dad mentioned someone with that name in a letter he wrote home on 15 October 1944. At least I think it's Phylis, the actual word is hard to make out. The letter includes a request of his sister to send him some 'films' to give to Phylis who can't seem to obtain any. Dad goes on to say he hasn't received his 'cheesecake' from her yet! This passage lends credence to Phylis being a local. And she may be our mystery gal.

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My own interpretation of the writing in the letter is that the name is written as "Philo," which may be short for Philomena. Philomena wasn't that common a name - at least compared with Phyllis or its variants - but there were still well over a thousand Philomenas married in England between 1945 and 1955. Only nine of these married in Northamptonshire, and one in the registration district of Kettering, which includes Weldon and Corby, the closest towns to the former air force base at Deenethorpe. Of course, she may not have been from that area at all!


Mark sent me this engaging snap of his dad - from his uniform, what I presume is his bomber jacket, and the star on the aircraft fuselage, clearly taken while he was in service. He is also shown along with the rest of the crew of "Buckeye Baby," piloted by 2nd Lt. William A. Shackleford, in a group photograph on the web site of the 401st Bombardment Group Association (shown below).


Crew of "Buckeye Baby" (2nd Lt. William A. Shackleford), 613th Bomb Squadron - Bud Scanlon at front right
Image © and courtesy of 401st Bombardment Group Association
For the moment at least, the identity of Bud's presumed sweetheart must remain a mystery, but perhaps she went on to marry and have children. Perhaps also one day someone will stumble across this page and recognise her from the portrait, a credit to whichever member of the Seaman family was running that particular studio at the end of the war. Many thanks for Mark for sharing the photographs, ephemera and story.

Staffordshire Photographers: Henry Bloomfield of Burton-on-Trent

Unidentified young woman, Carte de visite portrait, c.1880-1884
by Henry Bloomfield, Waterlooo Street, Burton-on-Trent
Henry F. Bloomfield is something of an enigma. He arrived in the brewing town of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire around 1880, and described himself as an "artist in photography." Although he remained in Burton until his death in 1900, and was listed as a photographer in trade directories from 1888 onwards, few examples of his work appear to have survived. The carte de visite shown above must date from fairly early during his stay in Burton.


H. Bloomfield, artist, photographer, engraver & writer
As well as photography, he advertised his services as artist, engraver and writer, and it is possible he was emplyed by one of the Burton newspapers. Both he and his wife Jane (or Jenny) were born in London around 1830, but nothing further is known about his life prior to his arrival in Burton.

Please do get in touch if you have any further images or information about this photographer.

Sepia Saturday 82: Now Playing on Platform Number Two

The photographic prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday theme is an atmospheric shot from the Library of Congress collection of the interior of Chicago's Union Station, taken in 1943 by Jack Delano. My own contribution is from my personal collection, and the subjects might well have been spotted busking at Nottingham Railway Station half a century or so earlier.


Blind musicians, by H.L. Morel, Nottingham
Image © and collection of Brett Payne
Unfortunately there is no caption or inscription on this mounted paper print, so the identity of the subjects is at present unknown. From what I can remember of the eBay listing, it was purported to depict two well known blind musicians from Nottingham, but there was nothing more specific (and that could have been deduced from the photograph alone). Nor have I been able to discover anything further about this elderly couple, their dog and accordion. It is possible that the portrait was taken on behalf of and as a fundraising exercise for the Midland Institution of the Blind, set up in Nottingham in the mid-1840s, but that is really just conjecture on my part. I also note that it is very similar in character to a portrait of an old blind beggar taken by eminent Derby photographer W.W. Winter in the late 1890s or early 1900s, and still on display in the Winter's studio today.


The print is roughly similar in size to that of a cabinet card (102.5 x 150 mm), but pasted onto a printed and patterned brown card mount measuring 201 x 253 mm. The photographer's name and location, "H.L. Morel Nottingham" is blind stamped - no pun intended - beneath the lower right corner of the printed frame. This style of mount was in popular use in Edwardian times, and judging from the style of clothing and studio props, I estimate this portrait was taken between 1900 and 1910.


Carte de visite portrait of unidentified child, c.1892-1893
by H.L. Morel, Newcastle Chambers, Market Place, Nottingham
Henri Louis Morel (1858-1917) arrived in Nottingham in the early 1880s, having trained as a photographer with the prestigious London firm of Elliot & Fry. Initially he was employed at the studio of A.W. Cox, then being run by Cox's wife Ellen Elizabeth Cox. Morel married Sarah Elizabeth Munson at Nottingham in May 1883, and around 1885 he started to operate his own business from their home at 31 Bentinck Road, Hyson Green.


As the business became more successful, and perhaps attracted more influential patronage, he moved successively into new premises at 36 Goldsmith Street (1887), Newcastle Chambers, Angel Row (1892) and 126 Mansfield Road (1898).


Emptying and loading trams, Clifton Colliery, 1895
by H.L. Morel, Nottingham (Image ref. NTGM009567)
Image © North East Midland Photographic Record & courtesy of Picture the Past
Morel took commissions for work outside the studio too, as did many portrait photographers of the time. In April 1887, in conjunction with Henry Levy, he produced some group portraits as mementos of the visit of Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill to Nottingham.


Hard coal face spragged and timbered ready for holeing, Clifton Colliery
by H.L. Morel, Nottingham (Image ref. NTGM009559)
Image © North East Midland Photographic Record & courtesy of Picture the Past
In the early 1890s, he accompanied several sporting teams to events and successfully produced a number of popular group portraits. In 1895 he produced an important series of views showing underground working conditions at Clifton Colliery Nos. 1 and 2 Pits.

Henri Morel continued operating from Mansfield Road until at least 1910, and died at Nottingham in 1917.

References

Heathcote, Bernard V. & Heathcote, Pauline F. (2001) Pioneers of Photography in Nottinghamshire 1841-1910, Nottinghamshire County Council, 62p, ISBN 0902751387.

Staffordshire Photographers: Charles Moscrop of Mayfield

Unidentified young man, Silver gelatin print mounted on cabinet card
by C. Moscrop, Mayfield nr. Ashbourne, c. 1900-1910
Image © and courtesy of John Bradley
Charles Moscrop (1872-1939) spent pretty much all of his 67 years in the town of Mayfield in North Staffordshire, close to Ashbourne and the border with Derbyshire. Born in 1871, he was the eldest of three children of a cotton warper (from Bolton, Lancashire) Henry Moscrop (1850-1913) and his wife Sarah Allsopp (1850-1925). In his twenties Charles also worked in the cotton manufacturing industry as a warper. However, it is clear from the existence of a cabinet card portrait, tentatively dated as from between 1900 and 1910, that he must have operated for at least a short period as a photographer.


Generic art nouveau card mount, c.1900-1910
Image © and courtesy of John Bradley
Gillian Jones, in her Professional Photographers in North Staffordshire 1850-1940 (The PhotoHistorian, No 103, Winter 1994, publ. RPS Historical Group) lists Moscrop at Holmbank, Mayfield in 1918. The decorative art nouveau design on the reverse of the card mount is a generic one, with no photographer's name or location shown.

He married Emily Fletcher (1871-1964) at Ashbourne in 1907, but it is not known whether they had any children.

Any further images or information about this photographer would be appreciated. Many thanks to John Bradley for the images.