Forgotten Faces

A New Set

2012-01-26T18:20:00.007Z

I have just created a new set on Flickr ( Forgotten Faces ). This will be for children with toys etc. Just recently I have been snooping around for these type of cards so it will be nice to separate them. Here is one that arrived today.

ss80

2012-01-24T01:27:00.003Z

ss80, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

I love this card which I purchased recently. There is so much to see. Dogs, babies and you guessed it....hats !

Another Favourite

2011-07-29T17:25:00.004+01:00

ss36, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

I have to confess that I really like the early seaside photos and this is another one of my favourites.
I have created a group on Flickr called Vintage Seaside. There are over 1500 seaside photos there at the moment.

The "Betty" Cards

2011-07-27T17:40:00.005+01:00

Ok, I have now uploaded the Betty cards to Flickr and here is the link to the Set that I have put them in. I have posted just four pictures here but it is best to go to Flickr to see them all.
This is a great little collection of photo's of someone through the early stages of her life and I dare say that in time we may find out a little more about Betty.

Betty Cards

2011-07-26T19:50:00.002+01:00

Well, the "Betty" cards arrived today and I am now sure they are not of Betty Driver from Coronation Street. I have scanned them all but have not been able to upload to Flickr yet as I have been very busy today.
I am not too disappointed as I believe these cards have a story to tell and I am very pleased to have got them. I will upload tomorrow with all of the details.

Tea Time !

2011-07-25T18:14:00.004+01:00

o9, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

Carrying on with my look back at earlier uploads to Flickr I think this deserves another look. It's been really good for me to look through my collection again as I have not seen some of these cards for a couple of years now. Must make more time to browse !!

Betty ?

2011-07-25T17:33:00.005+01:00

I am waiting for a group of postcards to arrive that I recently purchased on ebay. They are all supposed to be of the same girl but at different ages. The seller believes her name to be Betty.
Unfortunately there has been a delay in receiving these cards as the seller did not put enough postage on the parcel but that is all sorted now so I should get them this week.

Looking at the cards on ebay I have a feeling that these cards are of Betty Williams ( Driver ) who plays Betty Turpin in Coronation Street. I can't be totally sure even after checking out some pictures of her on the web but I have this feeling !

There are some studio portraits but also some family groups. I will wait for them to arrive and check out any messages on the reverse. The seller did say some cards had information on them.

As soon as I have them I will post them here and on Flickr. If it is Betty Driver I would like to try and return them to her.

This is the image of the group of cards taken from ebay

Oh..We Do Love to be Beside the Seaside !

2011-07-22T17:45:00.003+01:00

ss22, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

Another favourite of mine from my earlier uploads to FF

The Wedding

2011-07-21T17:28:00.004+01:00

w30, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

Well, Sarah has come up trumps again and has managed to put names to faces in this lovely wedding group. Also we now know the location which is Shoreham on Sea. She has also discovered a link to a local web site which has this exact same picture displayed along with lots more of the family.
Please click on the picture to read more on Flickr. I have included here the link to the local site but it is also in one of Sarah's comments on the picture.

Looking Back

2011-07-20T17:46:00.001+01:00

ss10, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

Thought I might start featuring a few postcards from way back when I started this project.
Also gives me a chance to revisit some photos that I have not seen for ages.

This is an early favourite of mine

A Quick Update on the House in Exeter.

2011-07-20T17:21:00.003+01:00

Just wanted to say a big thankyou to Sarah my Flickr contact who did the research on the house and to post a link to her Flickr site

I am going to write to the address in Exeter and send a couple of prints. The people who live in the house may find it interesting and who knows...they might be related to the original occupants shown on the postcards. Bit of a long shot but stranger things have happened !

Also thanks to Family History Monthly Magazine who have tweeted about this on Twitter.

I will post an update if anything turns up.

A House - Then and Now

2011-07-19T17:24:00.009+01:00

Going back to the point I made in my previous post about how important it was and is, to record as much information on the back of these old photos I can now show you some evidence of this.

Some time ago I purchased a batch of postcards that the seller was sure came from the same family and you can see these on my Flickr site in the set called A Family Album . Many of the photos were taken in a studio in Exeter, Devon so I assumed that this family lived in the West Country.
One of the postcards show two ladies standing outside a house and fortunately someone has written the first line of the address on the back of the card which is - 14 Churchill Road.

One of my contacts on Flickr has kindly taken the time to do some research on this set of photos and has come up the exact location of the house and it was and still is in Exeter. There is another picture of this house in the set but this time there is a young boy standing outside.

With the exact location known, my contact has carried out further research and has come up with lots of information about the house and the people who were living there.

The picture below is the house at 14 Churchill Road, Exeter as it was in the early 1900's

And thanks to Google Streetview this is the house today and as you can see, nothing has changed that much. The image below is interactive so you can zoom in and out and move around.

View Larger Map

Don't take any notice of the address shown on the Streetview image as they can be out by quite a bit.
I might now send a copy of the old photo to whoever is living in the house now. They might find it interesting and also give them the link to the Flickr image which shows the history of the house.

spm102

2011-07-18T17:50:00.002+01:00

spm102, a photo by Forgotten Faces on Flickr.

It is not often that I buy just a single card of a male portrait but in this case I had to make an exception. I think this portrait is stunning and apart from being a very handsome young man he also has a " sense of purpose " about him.

Why oh why didn't people put information on the back of these cards. I would have loved to have found out a bit more about this young man.

St Philps School - Class 5

2011-07-12T17:22:00.002+01:00

This card has just arrived and it has to be one of my favourites at the moment. I will try and find out a little more about St Philips School but there are a number of schools with this name and of course there is a good chance that this particular school may no longer be in existance.

The sad thing about these school group photos is that most of the children shown are probably no longer with us. I wonder what happened to them all ? Did they all survive to adulthood and have families of there own? What a shame that we shall really never know.

I will update this post if I manage to find out any more about Class 5.

Lots of views on Flickr !

2011-07-08T16:50:00.003+01:00

Well, since the publication of this months Family History Monthly magazine the view counts on Forgotten Faces have gone through the roof. In just a few days there have been 5300 views with 1333 of these yesterday alone !
Its a pity there is no way I could make some money out of all these hits. It would help to finance some new material. Having said that I have just been going through a mountain of postcards that I have to scan and upload and thats going to keep me busy for a while but I do need some fresh stock.

Hats, hats and more hats !

2011-07-07T17:19:00.004+01:00

I love this wedding card that I have recently obtained. The importance of hat wearing in the very early 1900's is clearly demonstrated here. I also like the way that the gentleman in the front row has decided not to wear a bowler hat like all of the other men. Maybe he was the father of the bride and wanted to stand out from the rest !

It's a shame that there is no information on the card about who these people were and I suppose it's a good lesson to us to make sure we always record information about our photographs for future generations.

Update on the Family History Magazine Project

2011-07-05T17:15:00.003+01:00

Well, its been a hard couple of months since mum died but I am slowly getting on top of things again. Her house is now cleared and the keys have been handed back today. All we have left to do is to spread her ashes with dads.
Our holiday over the last couple of weeks was much needed and now its time to get back on track.

Julys issue of Family History Monthly magazine contains a large article about Forgotten Faces and I am very pleased with the finished item. If you can buy this magazine you will find the article on page 36 " Pictures of the Past ". It includes five pictures from FF. I am a happy bunny !

I must now press on and upload more pictures and more importantly get hold of some new material.

Family History Magazine Cover

2011-05-20T17:46:00.003+01:00

Well, they have now printed June's edition and one of my images from Forgotten Faces is on the front cover. Very pleased with this and also got a mention on their Twitter site which pushed the view counts through the roof for a couple of days. All good stuff ! They may also be doing a feature on Forgotten Faces in their summer edition so watch this space !

The Top Three Pictures

2011-04-19T16:56:00.003+01:00

Thought it would be nice to share the top three cards on my Flickr site based on view counts.

Coming in at number three and somewhat of a surprise with 1318 views is ..

And at number two with 1319 views is ..

And the current most popular card in my collection with 2999 views is ..

Update on the Family History Magazine Project

2011-04-15T17:13:00.002+01:00

I have now provided the magazine with some hi-res images for the project and hopefully one of them will be on the front cover of the next issue. Looking forward to seeing the proofs and the finished product. As soon as I find out more I will post up some pictures.

Exciting News

2011-04-13T17:09:00.002+01:00

Had an email from Family History Monthly magazine the other day and they would like to feature some of my postcards in the next issue and also use some for the front cover. This is really exciting and maybe get a few pennies as well. I will update this when I find out more.

Rocking Horse card

2011-03-03T17:34:00.002Z

This is the single card that I purchased recently and as you can see it is not in the best of condition. I did start to tidy it up a bit on Photoshop but after a while I abandoned the project. Had I continued the image would have been so heavily doctored that there would have been very little left of the original image. Some things are meant to be I think. To be fair the image is 100 years old at least. It is still a lovley picture so best left alone !

This weeks Favourite

2011-03-02T18:24:00.002Z

Out of all the new cards I received this week this is my favourite...

Followed closely by this one...

Arrived

2011-02-28T03:46:00.001Z

Got the first batch of new cards on Saturday and I am very please with them. Just the odd one to come now so should get that soon. Hope to start uploading these this evening.

Success

2011-02-25T03:27:00.002Z

Well, I was lucky with the auction and won the two lots of cards so I will be scanning and uploading them when they arrive. I was really pleased to win the single card I mentioned in my last post. Its not in the best condition but it shows a little girl standing by her rocking horse. I will upload to here as well.

New Stock

2011-02-23T17:56:00.002Z

Well, I have had a quick look around on Ebay and have put a couple of bids on for some new cards. The first one is a group of 15 cards which , if I get them for my maximum bid will be good value. The other is a single card and not in the best condition but it is one of those " must haves "so I will let you know how I get on. I have a feeling that I will be outbid but we will see.

Todays Uploads to Flickr

2011-02-22T17:11:00.003Z

Just a few uploads today due to the faded condition of the postcards. Had to do a little bit of work on Photoshop !
I try not to over-do the fixing, just restore a little colour to the really faded ones and remove any spots that draw your eye away from the subject matter but it still takes time.

Although I still have many cards to scan and upload I think I need some fresh stock so I am going to spend a bit of time later on Ebay to see what I can find.

The Flickr Widget

2011-02-21T18:15:00.003Z

Installed the Flickr Widget the other day on the blog which lets readers see the last few uploads I have made. Its at the top of the page and also provides a direct link to my Forgotten Faces. Pretty good I think.

Managed to get a few uploads done and my favourite today is shown below. I know there were a few cute baby ones but there is a freshness about this picture that I think puts it at the top.

A Bit of a Quandary

2011-02-17T18:18:00.005Z

Some while ago I was bidding on a collection of postcards of children dating from the early 1900's upto the 1930's. Unfortunately I was outbid but the seller displayed hi res pictures of them on the auction site and I saved them all on my pc.

Now, the quandary is - shall I display them on Flickr with a note saying that I do not actually own the cards ? The thing is there are some lovely cards here and it would be a shame for them not to be seen. I have uploaded four so you can see what I mean...

Forgotten Faces on Flickr

The Return of the Blogger

2011-02-17T17:41:00.002Z

As you can see from the date of my last post I have been taking a few steps back from this blog and my Flickr site . I think that I needed to do this as I was getting pretty bogged down with the whole thing.
Its pleasing to see that although I have only uploaded a small amount of images over the last few weeks my all time view count has reached a staggering 306,416. There have been lots of comments and lots of interest shown in certain pictures.

With this in mind, I think it is now time to press on with the rest of my collection and get the scanner whirring into action again.

Forgotten Faces on Flickr

Tags 2

2009-02-05T18:36:00.004Z

Well, although I have not uploaded much to Flickr recently the new tag system does seem to speed things up. So, with a bit of luck I will reach 1000 uploads very soon. There has been quite a bit of activity on the site and I have made some very usefull contacts...more about that another time.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Back Again

2008-10-10T17:00:00.003+01:00

Well, I have been away for a bit on other things and as usuall I have negleted my blog again. Nice to read the comments that have been left on some of the posts, it really does make it worthwhile.

One of my other interests is collecting old postcards of the Isle of Wight and I have been spending some time on that project. I collect Real Photographic cards that were published by Dean & Co Ltd of Sandown. The time span I collect is from the 1920`s to the late 50`s.

Anyway back to FF. I have had some feedback about a postcard that I put on Flickr a while back which is always very nice to get. I have put the picture below and as you can see it is of a group of children and adults just about to embark on a day out. The location is Barrowford and Arthur has contacted me to let me know that he and one of his friends are able to identify over half of the people in the photograph and he feels sure the outing was to Blackpool.

Something like this happening justifies the amount of time that I spend with my eyes glued to the screen and my scanner whirring like hell !!

You can read a bit more information about the picture on my Flickr site.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

That was quick.....

2008-07-22T17:52:00.005+01:00

Well, the new cards arrived today which is great as I was not expecting them until Wednesday.
I am really pleased with them and have posted two of my favourite ones here. The first is the little boy with all of his toys and the second one is of a little boy dressed up for a football match and I think this one is close to being my all time favourite card ( another one ! ).

Forgotten Faces on Flickr

New material

2008-07-21T17:24:00.003+01:00

I managed to win some new cards on Ebay last week and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. They are mostly of children and many seem to have come from the same family which is an added bonus. There are a couple of gems in the batch including one of a little boy with lots of old toys.

There are lots of individual cards being sold on the net but if I collected this way it would cost me a fortune. Most of them have a starting price of over £1.00 and could go on to make a lot more. Buying in batches brings the price per card right down and although there may be some not so good ones in the batch it is the best way for me to increase my collection.

So, look out for the new batch which should arrive early this week and uploaded to Flickr by the end of the week.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

My most viewed card

2008-07-09T17:54:00.002+01:00

As it stands at the moment this is my most viewed postcard on Flickr...

This card has 1254 views as of today and the nearest one to it has 562 views so this is way out in the lead.
I can see why as it is a favourite of mine too, it just has everything !

Storage !!

2008-07-08T18:22:00.003+01:00

After scanning and uploading these images to flickr I have in the past transfered these cards to albums but it soon became clear that I would soon run out of space to store these so today I have purchased some storage boxes for my cards. This keeps them tidy and maybe in time I might be able to transfer to albums when I get some more space.
They look so much better in albums and are a joy to look through when I feel the need but as they say...needs must !

Off we go again !!

2008-07-07T18:18:00.003+01:00

Well, finally managed to start scanning again and uploading a few more pics to FF. I have not long been back from holiday on The Isle of Wight and while there managed to get a few people postcards from a book fair at the Botanical Gardens in Ventnor. Just uploaded three of them and will do the rest later.

Must get on with my other blog as well before my brain goes !! I have been finding it quite easy to remember my childhood and all the people and places but I daresay that one day things will not be so clear.

Feeling a bit guilty !!

2008-06-23T17:23:00.002+01:00

Yep, I really am feeling a bit gulity for not having got to grips with my Flickr site over the last few weeks and also this blog. Maybe I should explain a bit.

I work for a company called Waitrose which is part of the john Lewis Partnership. Waitrose is the food chain of this partnership. Now, when you have worked for this company for 25 years part of the deal is that you get 6 months leave on full pay. Well, I started my long leave at the begining of March and apart from doing a bit of family history research I have been doing a lot of stuff that I have not been able to get round to in the past. Also some time ago I started a user group on Ebay for Grumpy Old People. This proved very popular and took a lot of my time. I then let it slip a bit so over the last few weeks I have doing a relaunch of that group. Click the link to join but you have to be a member of Ebay.
Grumpy Old Peeps

I am still collecting the old postcards and will very soon devote some time to getting them uploaded. I am glad that there is still a lot of interest in the site and I am still getting lots of mails.

The Vintage Seaside Group I started on Flickr is doing very well with regular uploads and new members. There are some really great images on there so I am pleased about that.

Well, thats it from me for now

I will be back !!

2008-03-04T17:03:00.002Z

Just in case anyone was wondering why I have not posted any pictures recently on my Flickr site I thought that I should explain.
I seem to spend all my time rummaging through other peoples pasts and i thought it was about time i had a look at my own. So, since Christmas I have been researching my family history. Although it seems its the "in" thing to do at the moment I still decided to go ahead and I am glad that I did. Its time consuming, frustrating but more than anything facinating.
I might blog my search here but I need to organise what I have already discovered. So, if you are interested keep an eye open here some time in the future.

I still have hundreds of photos to post on Flickr but I need to concentrate on this project for a while. When I feel I need a break from it I will start uploading again.

You don`t aways get what you want !!

2008-01-17T17:37:00.000Z

I won an ebay auction recently for 100 people cards and I was eagerly awaiting their arrival. When they arrived a couple of days ago I discovered they were all German. Although the quality was extremely good I only collect British cards ( although some foreign ones may have slipped through).

Fortunately the seller has agreed to take them back and refund me the price as she did not mention the fact that they were foreign in the auction listing.
Never mind, I might stop buying more cards until I have finished dealing with the ones I have....famous last words !!

Image sizes on Flickr

2008-01-10T18:12:00.000Z

One of my contacts on Flickr suggested that I increase the image size that I upload as it would give more detail. Not being one to ignore advice I have given it a go and have mixed feelings about the result. I have just obtained an external hard drive with another 250gb so the extra memory required is not a problem but although you can now see much more detail you can also see more of the imperfections that these cards inevitably have.

Overall I think that maybe it is a good change to make and the extra detail outweighs the other problem so I will continue with the larger size.

I have to admit that I have been " cherry picking " the cards that I have been uploading recently which is not what I intended at the outset of this project so today I have gone through 20 cards and just uploaded them without sorting. Some might not be as interesting as others but it gets me back on track with my original intentions.

Forgotten Ostrich !!

2008-01-07T17:16:00.000Z

I get some nice emails from many of the people who view my postcards on flickr and sometimes get sent pictures to look at. I received a mail today from Eric with a link to a picture on Flickr. He thought I could put it on my blog ! So Eric, although not stictly in keeping with the other images here it is...a forgotten ostrich ...

Thanks for that Eric, its really a great image from the past.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

New year

2008-01-02T18:21:00.000Z

Well, its now 2008 and I have just started uploading again and hope to reach 1000 photo`s by the end of Jan. I uploaded a few recently purchased cards yesterday and have a mountain still to go through.
The site is still being visited on a regular basis and is now coming up to 15000 views. I have recently installed a couple of add ons to the site which provide some statistics of how the site is viewed. You can see one of them in a graph form on my profile page.

So, lots to do in the new year and lots more postcards to buy !!

A happy new year to anyone who reads this blog.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

A quick update

2007-12-07T17:01:00.002Z

Well, not had much time to udate this blog recently. Been uploading a lot more cards and I am aiming at having 1000 by the end of January.
Its difficult when sorting through my cards which ones to upload and which ones to leave. I did promise myself that I would put all of them on Flickr apart from the really damaged ones but I just can`t help being a bit selective.

Coming up to 13000 views on the site now so that is very pleasing. Also I have recently purchased some very nice cards. My recent favourite is this one showing people on a horse and carriage outside St Petrocs Boarding House in Ilfracome, North Devon. Thanks to one of my contacts I was able to discover the exact name of the house shown on the card.

I have also been contacted by the Curator of Photographic Technology at the National Media Museum in Bradford. He is staging an exhibition next year on Street and Beach Photography and I have agreed in principle to lend him some of my cards. I will update on that later next year.

With Christmas just around the corner I will not be doing too much on Flickr but early in the new year I shall be striving to hit the magic 1000 images uploaded.

A stroke of luck !

2007-11-13T17:21:00.001Z

I have just recently received two separate lots of cards that I won on an online auction. They were both from the same seller and as I was sorting through them I discovered two cards of the same family but each of these cards was in a different lot. Now, if I hadn`t have won both lots these two cards would have been separated for ever. This would have been a tragedy as they show a families children growing up.
So, any postcard dealers reading this please take note...try and sort through your lots and try and keep any related cards together. It is important as I think we all have a responsibility to the people and families depicted on these cards.

Read about these children on my Flickr site.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

A bit of a mystery !

2007-11-12T18:20:00.000Z

I have noticed that one of my cards has attracted a lot of interest over the last few days and I am trying to work out why !
It is a nice card but I can`t work out why it has had over 300 views in such a short space of time.

The photo was taken on Bank Holiday 1914 so if this was August Bank Holiday it may be linked to the outbreak of World War One as Britain declared war on Germany on 4th August 1914 and as we have just had Rememberance Sunday it could possibly explain the interest shown. Other than that I am mystified !

Past the 10,000

2007-11-07T17:49:00.000Z

Well, today the views on my Photostream at Flickr have past the 10,000 mark which is pleasing to me as it makes all the scanning and uploading worthwhile. I am pleased that people like to look at these pictures from the past and gives me encouragement to continue with this project.

Oh no ! Another Favourite....

2007-10-31T17:50:00.000Z

Just when I thought I had chosen my favourite card of the last few days another one turns up in the post !!
This is close to the top of my favourite card list. Check out the details on my Flickr site. Link below..

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Favourite card of the last few days

2007-10-29T17:59:00.000Z

I have purchased a few cards over the last few days and some arrived at the weekend. Out of them all this is my favourite card from the last few days.
Although the poor horse looks to be in a sorry state ( I have a feeling its not real anyway ) this photo is a real piece of social histry.

Currently 9445 views on my photostream at Flickr

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Colourizing my black and white photos

2007-10-28T13:49:00.000Z

Well I have just received a mail from the guy who asked if he could colourize some of my black & white postcards to tell me that he has completed some and overall I am pleased with the result. It does bring them to life and although I prefer the original black and white image it has been interesting to see what these people may have really looked like at the time. I have uploaded the images here.
What do you think ?

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Colourizing my black and white photos

2007-10-22T17:27:00.000+01:00

I had an interesting email the other day about my photos on Forgotten Faces. It was from a fellow Flickr member who likes to restore and colourize black and white photos. He has asked me if he can colourize some of my photos and gave me the link to his web site where he displays the end result.

Well, I had a look and must say that I was very impressed. The colour, in most cases is very natural and does seem to bring the photos to life. Although I prefer the original black and white image I have given permission for this person to colourize some. It will be interesting to see the results and I will upload them to this blog.

Check out his pictures here

This is just one image that I have borowed to put on here...

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Currently 8619 views on my photostream at Flickr

The most popular card on my photostream

2007-10-17T17:25:00.000+01:00

Flickr keeps track of all the views and comments made on your uploaded images and gives you a list of the most popular. There is an overall " most popular " based on the amount of views each picture gets and the amount of comments left and there is a " most popular " just based on views alone.
The most popular card on Forgotten Faces is the one shown here and it comes out on top in both scenarios.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

My favourite card of the week

2007-10-11T17:51:00.001+01:00

Just been having a look at some of the cards I have uploaded to Flickr over the last few days and have decided that this is my favourite card of the week. They look so relaxed and so naturally happy. Two very attractive ladies in their own way.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Time and money

2007-10-10T18:14:00.000+01:00

I know I have said it before but it takes so long to scan, upload, describe and tag a batch of postcards. I just wish I could could spend longer each day on this project. However computers can be pretty anti social and my other half has already said that when I am on here I am in a world of my own !! She is right of course and that is why I try and limit myself to just an hour or so a day.
Imagine what it would be like if I was doing this for a living...heaven !!

When I first started collecting these cards it seemed that I was the only one interested in them but over the last few months they have been harder to get at a bargain price. I try to buy bulk lots other than the odd nice card that is being sold on its own and you could get 40 to 50 cards for £4 or £5 but now you could pay up to £15 to £20 for the same cards. Buying them at postcard fairs is even more expensive.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

More uploads

2007-10-09T18:28:00.000+01:00

Well, over the last couple of days I have managed to get a few more postcards scanned and uploaded to Flickr. There has been a steady interest in the new Vintage Seaside group and I have also managed to put a few more on there as well.
I will be pressing on this week with more scanning and uploading and apart from buying the odd card or two I think I will wait now untill I have worked my way through the cards that I have before buying any more ! ( famous last words ! ).

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Sidetracked !

2007-10-05T17:09:00.000+01:00

Well, despite saying the new group on Flickr should look after itself I have been sidetracked these last couple of days answering posts and looking at pictures that members have uploaded. We are up to 22 members now and it seems to be a popular subject.

I will get back to Forgotten Faces soon and my scanner will be whirring again !

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

A New Group on Flickr

2007-10-03T17:51:00.000+01:00

Well, despite the fact that I have so much to do on Forgotten faces I have just created a group on Flickr called Vintage Seaside

Old seaside photos and postcards of people on holiday are favourites of mine so thought it might be a good idea to start this group.

I think the it will pretty much look after itself and I will drop by every day for a quick look just to make sure everything is in order.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

My Last Post

2007-09-28T16:53:00.000+01:00

Not sure if I like the layout of my last post about Post Mortem Photography. Looks a bit stretched out and needs tidying up so I will have a look at that later.

I did say ealier this week that I would try and scan and upload around 10 postcards every day but that seems to have fallen by the wayside. On the other hand if I upload too many in a short space of time they get buried and not seen by as many people. The pictures on the first page of the photostream seem to get more hits than those on later pages so it might be an idea to leave some time between uploading batches.

I really must spend some time looking at my contacts pictures. People make you a contact because they like the images in your collection so I should make a big effort to check out their pictures. So, maybe at some point this weekend I will devote some time to that.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Post Mortem Photography

2007-09-27T17:02:00.000+01:00

Some while ago a comment was left on one of my pictures suggesting that the image could in fact be a post mortem photograph. I always thought that this picture of a baby did not look quite right and I think that the suggestion may well be correct.

I may well be doing this image , seen above, a great injustice but it is a possibility.

Facinated by the thought of grieving parents taking their recently deceased child to the photographers for that final photograph I did some research on this subject.

In Victorian and early Edwardian times the infant mortality rate was high and in fact life expectancy in general was far less than it is today. Parents may not have had their child photographed when they were alive and in the event of a sudden death would have rushed the body along to a photographers to have a photograph taken as a reminder of their child.
Some of these photographs were tastefully done showing the obviously deceased child laying on a bed surrounded by flowers and apparently asleep. However, if the family did not have a photograph of their child or family member when they were alive they would instruct the photographer to give the impression that the deceased was still alive at the time of the photograph.

One of the first parts of the body to deteriorate after death are the eyes and many photographers became expert at painting false eyes on to closed eye lids. Some photographers were more skilled than others at this macabre task.

The picture on the left shows how this skill has been applied and the photograph has even been tinted to achieve a more "alive" look.

This next picture shows a young deceased boy who has been strapped to the chair for the photograph.

When the deceased were older much greater ingenuity was used to give the impression that they were alive in the photograph. Frames were built to support the deceased and supporting rods would be inserted through the back of their clothing.

In this next picture the girl in the middle of the photograph is dead and is supported by a frame behind her.

The woman in the middle of this final picture is also dead and is being supported by what could be her sisters.

I find this whole subject macabre, gruesome, spooky but totally facinating !

If you would like to see more of this subject then I have discovered a web site that features many post mortem photographs so just click the link below to visit. It is a kind of photo sharing site that you can register with for free and then be able to download any pictures you want.

Post Mortem Photography Site

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

What would they have thought ?

2007-09-26T17:39:00.000+01:00

I sometimes wonder what the people shown on the cards would have thought had they known that one day their images would be broadcast around the world on the internet ( not that they would have known what the internet was of course ! )

Would they have been happy about this or maybe have prefered for their pictures to remain private...who knows but I hope that wherever they are now they don`t mind.

Its a shame that there is not more information on the back of these cards. If you are lucky you may get a first name and a location but generally they are mostly blank so maybe this is a lesson to us today to make sure that all of our family photographs are labelled in someway so later generations will be able to identify and record the people shown on the photographs.

Auction update

2007-09-25T18:30:00.000+01:00

Well, I didn`t win the cards on ebay :o(
Nevermind, I still have loads to get on with and I did receive 4 very nice cards today in the post that I recently won so all is not lost. The card on the left is my favourit one of the 4. See the rest on my Flickr site.

Forgotten Faces on Flickr

More cards

2007-09-24T18:38:00.000+01:00

Just put a bid in for 120 people cards on ebay. They look a nice lot. I will not be around when the auction ends so I will not be able to "snipe" them in the last seconds so I will have to wait and see what happens.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Started again !

2007-09-24T18:19:00.000+01:00

Well, as promised ( to myself that is ) I have spent a little time today getting a few more cards scanned and uploaded to Flickr. Only 10 mind you but its a start. If I can do this every day this week I will be well pleased.

My problem is that I work night shift and by the time I get up I don`t have a great deal of time left in the day. The trouble with computers is they are a bit anti social and to be fair to my other half I don`t really want to be sat in front of the screen all day...she wouldn`t let me anyway !

Anyway, I got things on the move again so watch this space !

Forgotten Faces on Flickr

The odd gem !

2007-09-23T15:02:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Forgotten Faces

I get most of my postcards from ebay and usually in bulk lots. This can be a bit hit and miss but thats the fun of it cos you never know what you are going to get !
I have found over the past months that no matter how dissapointing a batch of cards may be there is always one that makes it worthwhile.

This card is one of them ! although I must say that the rest of this batch was very good.

I just love this card. There are some 50 people posing in the main group with many more behind in the woods. There is a perfect example of how difficult early photography was with a double exposure on the little boy on the left of the front row. The variety of clothes is exceptional and all that remains is to wonder what the occasion was and where the picture was taken.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

To be selective or not ??

2007-09-22T16:36:00.000+01:00

The problem I have at the moment is the sheer volume of postcards to scan and upload and not really having much time to do it so I have started to be selective in what cards I choose.

Now, this is something that I am not happy about as my original intention was to record as many images of these people as possible regardless of the nature of the image. After all, it would be wrong to exclude pictures just because they are not as attractive as others. So, as I write this I have made up my mind to revert to the original plan...its just going to take longer especially as I have now started this blog !!

Starting Monday I will start ploughing my way through my ever - increasing stockpile of cards and try to get things moving again ... famous last words !

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Why Flickr ?

2007-09-21T16:42:00.000+01:00

When I first decided to go ahead with this project I needed some web space to show these images but I really could not be bothered to start designing web pages to support the pictures so I stumbled on Flickr. I was impressed from the start and the interactive nature of the site made my mind up.
I originally went for the free option but as I wanted to separate all of the images into different catagories it soon became clear that I would need the " Pro " option. This gave me unlimited "Sets" and at £12 for a years subscription seemed very reasonable.
So, thats why !

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

A bit about Forgotten Faces

2007-09-20T17:58:00.000+01:00

It just seemed a shame that all of these old postcards were destined to be hidden away in postcard dealers boxes. These were real people going about their lives many years ago and perhaps there are no longer any family connections left.
So, I created Forgotten Faces on Flickr, a place where those that are interested can come along and meet these people from the past and this is the postcard that started it all...

I have over 500 images on the site at the moment with hundreds more still to scan and upload.
Sometimes I need a bit of motivation to keep going with it so I will use this blog to record my thoughts and progress on the subject and hopefully will provide the distraction needed to keep the project fresh.

Forgotten Faces at Flickr

Forgotten Faces

A New Set

ss80

Another Favourite

The "Betty" Cards

Betty Cards

Tea Time !

Betty ?

Oh..We Do Love to be Beside the Seaside !

More Links to Research by Sarah

The Wedding

Looking Back

A Quick Update on the House in Exeter.

A House - Then and Now

spm102

St Philps School - Class 5

Lots of views on Flickr !

Hats, hats and more hats !

Update on the Family History Magazine Project

Family History Magazine Cover

The Top Three Pictures

Update on the Family History Magazine Project

Exciting News

Rocking Horse card

This weeks Favourite

Arrived

Success

New Stock

Todays Uploads to Flickr

The Flickr Widget

A Bit of a Quandary

The Return of the Blogger

Tags 2

Tags

Back Again

That was quick.....

New material

My most viewed card

Storage !!

Off we go again !!

Feeling a bit guilty !!

I will be back !!

You don`t aways get what you want !!

Image sizes on Flickr

Forgotten Ostrich !!

New year

A quick update

A stroke of luck !

A bit of a mystery !

Past the 10,000

Oh no ! Another Favourite....

Favourite card of the last few days

Colourizing my black and white photos

Colourizing my black and white photos

The most popular card on my photostream

My favourite card of the week

Time and money

More uploads

Sidetracked !

A New Group on Flickr

My Last Post

Post Mortem Photography

What would they have thought ?

Auction update

More cards

Started again !

The odd gem !

To be selective or not ??

Why Flickr ?

A bit about Forgotten Faces