This is the first photograph that I took. It was of my father and younger brother (the late CJ). I was 8 years old. My father was a keen photographer and a member of the (Royal?) Liverpool Photographic Society which 75 years ago used to meet in the Bluecoat Chambers in Liverpool City Centre. The Society doesn't appear to exist now although there are other photographic societies in the area.
What really struck me is the fact that my father was wearing a suit and tie despite the fact that we were on holiday and staying at the holiday cottage my parents had. Unfortunately I'm not sure which one it was. My parents had a cottage in or near Mostyn on the Welsh coast of the estuary of the River Dee at one time but also had one on the Wirral coast somewhere around Heswall for a while. I think that the latter one was green (and called The Green Hut) so this is probably the former.
I love it that you still have this photo, and that someone (your Mum or Dad, I assume) put it in an album, marking it as your first photo.
ReplyDeleteMen really used to wear suits and ties nearly all the time back then, didn't they! There are pictures of my Yorkshire mother-in-law and her late husband (he died decades before Steve and I married, which is why I can not rightly call him my father-in-law) as newlyweds on a holiday in Scarborough in the 1950s. Even on the sunniest days and walking along the beach, Alan wore long trousers, proper shoes and a shirt and tie, although he conceded to the holiday mood by carrying the suit jacked over his arm and wearing short sleeves. Mary was always in a pretty dress with matching shoes. The first photos of them in more casual attire were taken in the mid-1970s when they were on the beach at Skegness, taking the family for a caravan holiday.
Meike, things were more formal then and, in any case, few people owned a lot of clothes because of rationing. You had an allocated number of coupons and the (adult?) family clothing had to come within that allocation.
DeleteIt seems to me that a suit and tie was almost de rigeur during that period. In many pictures that I have seen a hat was almost equally required. We have gone from that kind of formality to jeans and sneakers at a funeral.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I take your point although I've yet to see that level of informality at a funeral on Lewis - but things are a bit conservative here.
DeleteSolicitors and real estate agents still wear suits here, and those above them in society's hierarchy, but they are no longer seen being worn by office workers. I've only worn a hired dinner suit, just once. However, I've noticed my late partner's great nephews in England wear suits for more formal gatherings, so they all seem to own a suit. Running through my male family members, I've never seen any in a suit aside from being a groom at a wedding.
ReplyDeleteYour father looks neat in a suit and tie. Here ties were often worn badly, as a token.
A valuable photo to have..you are fortunate.
ReplyDeleteI have a photo of my great grandparents walking on the prom at Southend, arm in arm...grandpa Walter in dark suit and bowler, very dapper and Ma Rixon looking veritably regal in floral dress with coat and of course hat...this was the 1930s of course...seeing your father without a hat...it is interesting that after the 40s hats were no longer de rigeur
That is a nice momento to have. Re: the shirt and tie: A lot of old pictures feature the men in suits, even if they were working in factories. I remember when I was in school, all male teachers wore suits and ties, the women, dresses. And that was 'only' 55 years ago!
ReplyDeleteI went back through your old posts to find out why they called you Barry and see it is your middle name.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet memory. Yes, men did dress up even on vacation back then. I still have a wool sport coat that belonged to my Grandpa and we have photos of him wearing it with a shirt and tie when we were on a beach vacation in Michigan years and years ago. He died in 1959 so it was well before that.
Good memories, and such a lovely photo that captured one of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good photo for a first try! Most of my early attempts to master an old b&w camera I "inherited" from my dad are horribly blurry - I didn't really become a half decent photographer until my first Instamatic, when I no longer had to fiddle with various settings... ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour Dad looks very much like my Dad. Yes they did wear a suit and tie to the beach.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a special photo that is Graham. I wonder how you got the name Barry. Co-incidentally, it was also the name that Barack Obama got used to.
ReplyDeleteMy father was the same; always a suit and tie on holiday. However, having seen him in shorts once or twice I understood why!
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