Flash, Bang, Wallop!

I've bought lots of old books and photographs recently...
The photo below is in a rather tatty album, but which must have once belonged to a rather well-to-do family, as this is their drawing room, which is a very elegant room. Each page has hand written titles under the photos and includes dates from 1886 to 1889.

Another album that I bought had this beautiful rose printed page, which I have decided to keep. I try not to hang on to very much these days, in order to keep my shop fully stocked...but just occasionally I succumb!
I also loved this photograph of the Victorian Miss...unashamedly standing in her corset. Of course I realise that some of the Victorian young girls of the time weren't as prim and proper as we are sometimes led to believe...

But on the reverse of the photo it may explain why she was willing to pose in her underwear. It says that 'Samuel A. Walker had a new application of photography where sitters were taken at their own residence'. Perhaps this gave her the confidence to be photographed in this way?
It also mentions that his studio was patronized by the Queen, (as well as other members of the royal family) so he must have been a well respected photographer.

And talking of royalty, another find of mine was this beautiful book entitled Royalties of the World...

It was printed shortly after the death of Queen Victoria.

Inside are lots of wonderful colour plates, each one artistically created from old photographs of the time. Unfortunately the first page, which would have been a portrait of Queen Victoria, is missing - I suspect someone removed it to place in a frame.

There are plenty of other portraits though, which give examples of the impressive costumes worn by the wealthy during the early 1900's...

I leave you with a small selection...

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Niki x