From My Collection

FLANDERS & SWANN “AT THE DROP OF A HAT” PROGRAMMES (1950s & 1960s) These are two vintage theatre programmes from the Flanders and Swann live shows, “At the drop of a hat” (1956 – 1961) and “At the drop of another hat” (1963 – 1967). …

THE GIRL WITH UMBRELLA OIL PAINTING I acquired this original oil painting called “Girl with Umbrella” in August last year and it’s lived lovingly on my wall since. It came from an online auction site based in the Netherlands which sells modern and vintage art, …

8-YEAR-OLD LOUISA’S LETTER (1885) This is a new year letter I acquired late last year, written by a little girl from Camello Massachusetts on January 18th 1885. I was initially intrigued by the ink, as I hadn’t seen a letter written in pink that was …

Graphic Props From The Queen’s Gambit This is a selection of graphic props from the Netflix limited series The Queen’s Gambit (2020). All these props helped the storytelling and had an impact on me the first time I saw the show. Personally, The Queen’s Gambit …

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE CDV (1858) This is a carte de visite (CDV) of “The Lady With the Lamp”, Florence Nightingale. I was lucky enough to acquire this original photograph just a couple of weeks ago and am proud to own this little piece of history. Florence …

VINTAGE PRICING LABLES (1930s) This is a collection of thirteen vintage pricing labels from the 1930s / 1940s. I bought them a few months ago and I think they’re really wonderful. I have about a dozen of each design and these images show just one …

A REAL DUEL TOLD IN THE NEWSPAPER (1809) This is a newspaper from “Saturday, October 28, 1809” and still makes for a thrilling read today. This was a present from my Dad who found it on eBay late last year. This copy of “The Traveller” …

The Maid OF THE MOUNTAINS PROGRAMME (1964) This is a programme from a theatrical production of “The Maid of the Mountains” which ran at the Bristol Hippodrome in 1964-1965. I bought this programme in a charity shop in Marlborough in 2017, near my home village. …

MISS CATHERINE ELAINE STEWART’S PASSPORT (1933) This is my Great Grandmother’s passport (on my Mum’s side) from 1933. Miss Catherine Elaine Stewart, who proffered to be known by her middle name Elaine, was born on 27th June 1911. Sadly, I never knew her as she …

MONICA’S PHOTOS (1930 – 1970) These are part of a huge collection of old photographs from my Great-Great Aunt Monica. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side had a half-sister called Monica and who died in 2014. I sadly never met Monica but she was the …

LONDON UNDERGROUND MAP (1941) This is a well-used map of the London Underground from 1941. It came from my Great-Grandmother’s house a few years ago and I love the feel of the old, soft, uncoated stock from the era. We spent lots of time going …

PRINCESS ALICE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (1843 – 1878) CDV This Carte de visite is of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. If you unsure as to what a Carte de visite is, you can check out my previous post: “What is a Carte de …

WHAT IS A CATRE DE VISITE? These photos are of some carte de visite from my own collection. Carte de visite (CDV) was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854. Carte de visite were made of a …

WHAT IS A “WOMAN’S PICTURE?” (1932 FILM FEMINISM) “To be a “woman’s picture” a film must have characters who are recognisable human beings.” The following is an opening article from a copy of Film Weekly magazine published on Friday 8th July 1932. Film Weekly was a …

hIGHGATE TO CROUCH END RAILWAY TICKET (1916) This is a third class, over ground, railway ticket from Highgate to Crouch End in London. It’s stamped on the back with “9MY16” which is the day month and year of issue (9th May 1916). G.N.R. (Great Northern …

FATHER DYING, TRY TO COME TELEGRAM (1922) “Father dying try to come if possible, Marguerite”   What a dreadful message to receive. I acquired this in late 2019 and although it’s very dramatic and sad, this telegram is a great example of how this form …