Category: Social history

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photography Social history

The X Files

This is from a collection of photographs that the owner has marked with an “X” to identify herself and others. If you look at the larger version of the first photo you’ll see she put an X above her head and on the dress of her baby (or is the baby her?) Because of the X files I’ve decided to call her Dana. Unfortunately we never learn her name. This photo is labelled “Me my mam and dad aunties and uncles.”

This photo’s labelled “me” so I take it this is Dana.

This is Dana’s Auntie Florence.

Two photos of Betty – was she Dana’s sister? The faded photo is dated 1943 and is the only photo given a date.

Marjorie and Betty at Batley. Below we also have Marjorie at the staff dance – again identified by an X.

Dana’s “mam and dad.”

Dana’s grandma – identified by the X on her blouse.

Blackie Binkie and Dickie.

I was hoping one of these gentlemen would turn out to be Dana’s father but she’s written on the back “John’s Father with his workmates from Yorkshire Copper Works.” There’s no clue as to who John is so it doesn’t help. Nevertheless the newspaper clipping provides fascinating detail.

Overall the collection illustrates some of the frustrations of collecting old photographs. Clearly there are intriguing stories behind them but nothing to definitively identify the subjects. From the notes and photography studio stamps we can place them in and around Leeds. Otherwise we can only be grateful for Dana’s “X”s to at least show some of the relationships.

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Dance photography Social history

Vintage Dancing Girls: The Professionals

It’s often difficult to distinguish between amateur dancers, semi-professionals and professionals. This is especially true when it comes to older photographs and RPPCs where you might be looking at a troupe who had a long career in music hall or variety or might have been together for only one specific gig.

In this post I have only included dancers who are clearly professionals and by and large this means dancers from the twentieth century. The photo at the head of this post names the dancers as L to R Margaret Faber, Bobbie Selinger, Sue Faber, Doris Jeaume, Madge Rose, Annabelle Faber. Photo by Maurice Seymour of Chicago.

I have several photographs of the “Opal Girls.” I’ve not been able to trace much about them. Despite the indication of Italian and Belgium photographers there was a printed sheet giving a Ruislip England address which indicates the troupe performs in “Acts and ballets, cabaret and theatre, films and TV, American choreography complete reviews produced and All branches of entertainment.” So a versatile troupe then!

I have a folder of the “The Fabulous Joy Healey Dancers” which I assume belonged to one of the dancers. The cover, shown above, makes extravagant claims about their many appearances.

The George Carden Dancers. Stamped on reverse of this photo is: “Copyright Photograph by Associated Television (ATV) (Reproduction for editorial purposes if credit given).”
This troupe appeared in many British TV programmes of the 1950s and 1960s including the Royal Variety Performance.”

I don’t know anything about the Sally Wickham Dancers. shown above.

Dancer and/or showgirl? A page from the Souvenir Programme for Folies-Bergere at the Prince of Wales Theatre London. The show began its run in 1955. (The Folies first ran in London in 1949).

No information on this troupe of dancers except a photo credit to R Foucher-Creteau of Paris.

Of course the most famous name given to dance troupes is “The Tiller Girls” of whom I have previously written. There are also the Windmill Theatre Dancers who I will write about in another post. There are also many many ballerinas, some famous, some not, who I will also discuss elsewhere.

Categories
Dance photography Social history

Vintage Dancing Girls Tour Cornwall

These photos are from a full album of photographs. Very few have any information and certainly none of the performers’ names. All except one of the photographs with any written information give the locations as Par, St Ives and Newquay and are dated 1936. The exception is noted as Bognor 1937.

There is one photograph of the girls in everyday clothes recorded as Stanmore Common which is in the London Borough of Harrow.

Putting the pieces together it seems most likely that the girls are a semi-professional or amateur group of dancers from London who toured the South of England in 1936 and 1937. (The board advertising a demonstation by “London Experts” would seem to confirm this.) As well as photographs showing them in costume and rehearsing their moves there are lots of other shots of them relaxing and having fun.

The girls seem to have enjoyed practicing their moves on the beach.

The dancers found plenty of time to relax when not practicing their moves.

Friends forever?

Categories
Dance photography Social history

“New” Jessie Matthews Photos

The thing about collecting old photos is that there are always “new” items to be found. In the case of Jessie Matthews there are many examples of publicity stills, often appearing in magazines and advertising endorsements.

I recently acquired two publicity shots, both from magazines published in 1931.

No doubt there are many more items to be discovered. I’ll add updates when and if I find something else “new.”

Categories
Social history spooky

Ghost hunting at Belper Mills

My sister and I recently went on a “ghost hunt” at Belper Mills organised by “MJL paranormal.” You can see the video they produced after the event below.

I can’t say I encountered anything spooky but it was worth going just to see inside the East Mill as well as a lot of the rest of the mill complex. The event itself was well organised and stewarded and there was a very entertaining talk from Richard Felix, local paranormal investigator and ex “Most Haunted” presenter.

My only complaint about the event was that it was rather too organised and packed with use of various pieces of equipment. I would have liked the opportunity to just sit quietly in some of the rooms without the use of EMF meters etc.

(We previously attended a similar event at Strutt’s School Belper, run by a different group, which was more eventful especially when it came to “table turning.”)

I can neither confirm nor deny a personal belief in the supernatural.

Categories
Dance photography Social history

Vintage Dancing Girls: Solo Dancers

I’d say that the majority of the cards and photographs in the collection feature two or more dancers but obviously there are plenty of solo dancers.

Because the collection is of “vintage” dancers, most photographs are black and white. Above is one of the rarer colour photos and the subject is identified as “Mrs Shirley Eckloff of Arcadia, California.” From the vibrancy of the colours I think it likely this dates from the 1980s (there are others from the same source.)

This wonderful image features on the homepage of the blog. You can legitimately ask whether she’s a dancer or just posing.

This flamenco dancer is from the same source as the colour photo above.

I have a number of photos of Eva Leary who seems to have appeared in several 1930s dance productions.

It’s back to expressionistic dancing again with this girl.

There are thousands of photos of amateur ballerinas out there. I’ll post separately on professional ballerinas.

And this is my favourite “vintage dancing girl.” She looks so joyful in contrast to the more usual sombre poses.

Categories
Dance photography Social history

Vintage Dancing Girls: The Expressionists

Above is an example of what I call “The Expressionists” for want of a better term. Obviously these groups of dancers are trying to convey something but it isn’t always obvious what they want to say. As often as not there’s no information on the cards to help.

I can tell you that this card comes from an album featuring Raybury School of Dancing Folkstone, Maidstone and Athelston School. Dated in the 1930s but what it’s about I don’t know. A scene from an opera perhaps?

And this one’s from from an album of photographs and clippings related to ballet in Weymouth during the 1950s and 1960s. I guess they are posing for a photographer while warming up.

I call this one “The Dying Swan.” You can often come across variations of this type.

Another mystery. Representing some sort of myth?

Obviously a ritual to welcome the spring I’d argue!

Ah, must be the dance of the birdhouse!

Homage to the fairies at the bottom of the garden.

Variations on the circle dance are also popular.

Any suggestions on the real subjects of these dances welcome.

Categories
Dance photography Social history

Vintage Dancing Girls: Couples

Vintage dancing girls come in many different configurations from solo dancers (some just posing), troupes professional and amateur, old, young and sometimes not even girls as you will see below. That diversity is what struck me about this genre of RPPCs and photographs when I began this collection. I’ll be posting some examples of the different types of dancing girls in the future but I’m starting with a few of the couples from the first 100 items in my flickr album.

So clearly this dancing girl on the left is a man. One of the intriguing things about collecting old photographs and postcards – irrespective of the gender of the participants, you have to ask “What on earth were they thinking of when they did this?”

I think it’s safe to say this is two women. The studio is Stahl Studio, 1221 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA.
I’m guessing 1920s from the looks and clothing.

Colourised postcards were very popular. Curiously only the dancer to the right has her dress colourised though it’s possible the other dress was too but the colour has faded.

Ideal Studios. Written on back “Myrtle The Witch Marjorie Fairy Bluebell School Play London St Martins School 1921.” It’s always a bonus to have details such as date, names, studios, locations.

The second photo is also by Ideal Studios Oxford St. Written on back ” Myrtle and Marjorie Dancing Display.”

Musical theatre type outfits are popular though Jazz hands not so much.

A more candid photograph in contrast to the more usual and obviously posed ones. There’s nothing to identify the dancers but from their clothes I’d guess late 1950s or early 1960s.

Again nothing to identify these two. This was image 100 in the collection in 2016. The album was started in 2012 and is, of course, still ongoing.

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Social history

Some Music Hall Curiosities

Sometimes it’s hard to understand music hall performers. I’ve seen at least two other postcards of The Yorkshire Rustics yet what was their act really like? From this image they look more frightening than entertaining. Certainly depictions of simpletons and lunatics would be offensive to the modern eye.

There’s a good discussion between Alexi Sayle and Stewart Lee about music hall acts in Alexi Sayle’s podcast (episode 7) about “working class surrealism.” They’re both music hall fans and the more I think about it the more I can see music hall influences on variety acts of the late twentieth century and, of course, Sayle and Lee and other performers like Frank Skinner, himself a George Formby fan.

Speaking of surreal, how about this skating girl and skating bear? That must have been a sight to see.

And here’s a girl talking to her teddy bear.

Groups of “juveniles” were very popular in the halls and some performers continued to perform as juveniles long after they could sensibly claim to be so young. In terms of collecting I can’t successfully repair the damage to this card digitally, though it’s still of interest.

There’s a fine line between music hall performers and those who would once have been exhibited in “freak shows.” According to sideshowworld.com “Lady Little travelled all over the world. In 1913 she was 23 inches tall and weighed 12.75 lbs.” Contrast the indignities suffered by the Elephant Man and the popularity with royalty of “General” Tom Thumb.

Contortionists were another staple of the music hall and variety.

And of course there were the ever popular exotic acts.

The TV programme “The Good Old Days” did a good job of reproducing some famous acts but it was clearly a highly sanitised version of what a real music hall bill was like.

Categories
Dance Social history

About the Tiller Girls

In the popular imagination the Tiller Girls are more like the colour photograph above. This one was taken in 1990 by Paul Groves for the Daily Telegraph. Those of us of a certain age will think back to seeing the Tiller Girls on Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the 1960s.

Most people will be surprised to learn that the photo of the “tennis players” above were also Tiller Girls. In fact there have been many Tiller Troupes and Tiller Girls over the years, starting in 1894 when John Tiller established a school of dance where girls were drilled to perform routines with military precision. (He’d probably be banned from Strictly Come Dancing these days).

Above are two Tiller troupes from 1916.

Tiller troupes were popular additions to music hall bills and to pantomimes. On the back of this card is written “Put me amongst the Girls” but the signature is unreadable.

Even these curious ladies are Tillers.

There are so many Tiller-trained groups that some of them went under different names. The Palace Girls for instance were trained in a Tiller school.

Every end of pier show would have their own Tiller Girls and, of course, they were used to sell sheet music.

These Tiller Girls are from 1954.

Another Daily Telegraph photo from 1988 of a Tiller Girls reunion, but which version or are they just a mix from different troupes?

This newspaper cutting gives some idea of Tiller’s involvement in his work. The date’s not certain but the cuttings were with two postcards dated 1916.

If you want to know more about Tiller’s Girls then the book by Doremy Vernon is the place to go. The book’s out of print but easily available on auction sites.