Swindon in the Past Lane

Early photographic experiments were greeted with both wonder and suspicion.  Until the mid 19th century portraits had been the prerogative of the privileged.  But with the advent of the cartes de visite in the 1850s, photography was available to all but the very poor, and Swindonians were quick to get in on the act. During the 1860s at his studio in Short Hedge, better known today as Devizes Road, J.S. Easter charged 10s 6d per dozen for the two and a half by four inch photos.  Ten years later the price had come down considerably and the magnificently named Zephaniah Dodson produced them for four shillings a dozen at his studio in Prospect.   By the 1880s the town was gripped by cartomania and the Kelly's Trade Directory of 1889 lists four photographers in Old and New Swindon. Here is a selection of photos from the Swindon Collection, Central Library - visit www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal. Taken around 1884 by Henry Hemmins This 1895 i...

With the arrival of the smart phone and the digital camera, it has never been easier to take and share photographs. Having one's portrait preserved was once the prerogative of the wealthy.  But with the advent of photography in the mid 19th century, all but the very poorest could afford to leave their photographic image to posterity. The carte de visite, a small visiting card portrait, was patented by Parisian photographer Andre Adolphe Disderi in 1854 and made photographic images available to the ordinary person.  Soon the whole family was getting in on the act and photograph albums were produced with cut out slots to accommodate the 4.5 x 2.5 inch images. The carte de visite was particularly popular during the 1860s but these four photos of Swindon babies probably date closer to the beginning of the 20th century when Henry Hemmins had a studio at 16 Victoria Street.  George E. Stone was based at 25 Faringdon Road where both he and his wife are described a...