A "Bewitched" Farmer's Wife in 1879

From the Preston Guardian, Saturday, February 15th, 1879.

Alex Ross's "Nose Machine"

I'm currently going through some very old Preston newspapers which were bought from a secondhand bookshop quite a few years ago and they are revealing startling insights into the 19th century, whilst also illustrating that human concerns with appearance and health never change - and that there will always be those who seek to take advantage of this.

From the Preston Chronicle, February 25th, 1882.
 

In case the worn type proves difficult to decipher:

"ALEX. ROSS'S NOSE MACHINE, applied to the Nose for an hour daily, so directs the soft cartilage of which the member consists that an ill-formed Nose is quickly shaped to perfection.  10s 6d; post free 10s 8d., secretly packed; pamphlet two stamps - 21, Lambs' Conduit-street, High Holborn, London.  Hair Curling Fluid, curls the straightest and most ungovernable hair, 3s. 6d.; sent for 54 stamps.  Alex. Ross's Ear Machine, to remedy outstanding ears, 10s. 6d. or stamps.  His great Hair Restorer, 3s. 3d.; it changes grey hair to its original colour very quickly, sent for 54 stamps.  Every speciality for the toilet supplied. Beware of imitations of Ross's articles.  As Chemists keep his articles see that you get his Hair Dye for either light or dark colours, 3s. 5d.; his Depilatory for removing Hair, and his Oil [???] for the growth of Whiskers."

 

I would love to know what the Nose and Ear machines looked like.

Jobseeking in Preston, 1883

 

The extracts below come from the Preston Herald, Wednesday January 10th 1883.

 

It's interesting that the disengaged, experienced Barmaid specifies that she is Protestant.  Preston has a deep Catholic heritage and I am curious as to whether she was seeking employment from a fellow Protestant or whether she had experienced discrimination in the past.

 

The King's Head on Friargate was clearly the place to be entertained by comic singing waiters - if they were able to hire any. 

At least one of the job above sounds too good to be true - a phenomenon still seen today in adverts which offer amazingly good wages for apparently easy work.



Hallowe'en Fancy Dress - with Tragic Footnote

As far as is possible with fancy dress, I am estimating that this photo dates from the 1930s, given the padded shoulders on some of the ladies' dresses.  It could also be 1940s.  The location could be a private house or a village hall, there are few clues one way or another.  On the reverse is written:
"Halloween.  These are a few of our Association.  The one marked with a X was instantly killed last week and was the President."

National Vaudeville Artists Inc. Club House

Located on 229 West 46th Street, New York City, the Club House was acquired for National Vaudeville Artists Inc. in 1919 and provided 'bedrooms, a cafeteria and swimming pool for members, who paid an annual fee of $10' (The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville, Anthony Slide).  A series of postcards was produced showcasing the elegant rooms and facilities.  I possess only two of these, unfortunately.

Through a Lens Darkly: Edwardian Weymouth in "Photogravure"

These are all postcards in the Milton "Photogravure Series".  They have a distinctive ragged edge and are printed on quite rough, thick paper.  Unlike other postcards which are sometimes very staged-looking and have been touched up in production, these images give the impression of being stills from an early film and provide a very realistic, if grainy, picture.

Mobile changing room on the far right with 'Ladies Sail Car' written on the side.

 Plenty of fashionable straw hats.

Wartime Recipes No. 3: Madeira Cake

The Daily Express, Thursday October 19th, 1944.

Ladies' Hairstyles No. 2: Give Us A Wave!

I believe these photos are all from the 1930s.

 From the studio of John Aston, Darlaston.

Nice aeroplane brooch seen above.

Photographer: Swains, Norwich.

Photographer: Hobbs, Great Yarmouth.

On reverse: 'Love to Hilda from Flo x', date stamped 23 Oct 1935.

On reverse: date stamped 11 Nov 1939.

Wartime Recipes No. 2: Scrag End; Mixed Grill; Sardine and Egg Scramble

The People, Sunday, April 29th, 1945.

Coded Message No. 2

Face: The Bandstand, the Oval, Cliftonville.

Reverse: easier to decipher than the coded message in the previous post containing one.

Smart Gardening

Posed or not posed?

Waterloo: Wellington Hotel Advert

The other side, showing the Lion Monument.

Edwardian Actresses in Gorgeous Dresses No. 1

Gabrielle Ray, 1906.

Gertrude Glynn and Gaynor Rowlands, 1906.

Evie Greene, 1907.

Marie Studholme, c.1906.

Edna May, c.1906.

Men: In Groups and Three-Piece Suits

I estimate that these photographs date from c.1910 - 1945.

Note the distinctive pale checked waistcoat of the man standing centre-back and the stem of a clay pipe held by his friend on the right.

 I'm curious about this picture.  Does the difference in type of hat indicate different class / background?  The man in the flat cap doesn't have quite as good a suit as the other two and his hands show signs of hard work.

Have these men come for a holiday or day trip in one of the coaches seen in the background?

Witch Trial in 1944

 From the Daily Mail, Thursday, August 3, 1944

More information on this interesting case can be found from various websites.

Wartime Recipes No. 1: "Mock Goose"; "Cheese Hot-pot"

From the Daily Mail, Thursday October 1, 1942

From the News Chronicle, Thursday September 9, 1943

Fancy Dress - Medieval; Cavalier; Romantic

  I think that these photographs are all studio portraits of people dressing up or amateur actors, rather than the official postcards featuring famous actors which were sold.

On the back of this last one - which I think is the latest of the four - is written 'Lottie, taken on March 8th, '30'.