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.
Comments
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
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.
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.
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.
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.