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Information request: Carte-de-visite from Barnsley

Can anyone tell me anything about this carte-de-visite showing a montage of portrait images mainly of men but including one woman at the bottom of the carte. She and the man beside her look to me to be from a different era to the other images.

It is credited to by Wilson and Bullock, Gordon Terrace, Barnsley.

I suppose it could show the great & good of Barnsley. Who else took this type of photograph. Was it a popular genre?

Gilly Read.

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Comment by Gael Newton on May 31, 2021 at 8:25: Is that faint lettering on the brown rectangle lower left corner?

Sandy Barrie's directory has the firm dating from 1867 -72 photographer as Thomas Wilson

Comment by Steve Lightfoot on May 31, 2021 at 8:21: Looks to me as though it could be connected to the temperance movement. At the bottom of the photo one of the ladies is holding a glass and the man to the left has turned his back on her and the glass.

Comment by Andrew Hurst on May 26, 2021 at 12:23: From Barnsley Archives @BNArchive

Wilson and Bullock opened a store in May 1864 and Gordon Terrace was just off Sackville Street in Barnsley town centre.

Comment by Andrew Hurst on May 25, 2021 at 23:15: The bottom two characters are paintings in the Cooper Gallery in Barnsley.
https://www.cooper-gallery.com/

‘Peggy Airey’, 1843 and "Watter Joe" by Abel Hold (1815-1896)

https://www.cooper-gallery.com/collections/picturing-people
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/peggy-airey-17591848-68861
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/watter-joe-68862#

I'm sure the local archives will be able to help identify "by Wilson and Bullock, Gordon Terrace, Barnsley."
I can see a couple of digitised images by them online - curiously found there way to Australia.

I forwarded your original post to friends in the local museum and archives - they were fascinated and I'm sure will be in touch.

I like Ian's reference to GW Wilson which seems the most likely that it is a montage of their various sittings from local personalities (or may be just anyone they have photographed) - you certainly wouldn't want that bunch as your audience at a comedy club, they're a miserable looking lot. Honestly we're far more fun in Barnsley than this picture portrays.

Comment by Ian Wallace on May 25, 2021 at 8:23: This looks like a photographer who saw how GW Wilson had success with local Personalities groups. GWW's first was about 1856-7 after which he produced a series of at least 9 similar images. GWW numbers the portrait images so there was a key to the personalities. You can sometime find the original CDV portrait that was included in a group and (if you don't have the key sheet) it can give an ideas about the personalities. I would look out for other CDVs by the photographer and see if you can attribute any names. Somewhere I'm sure there was a key sheet but it may now be lost in time. Perhaps a local studies library may help if you are lucky.