*click for larger version
I bought this old postcard on eBay the other day. Apart from capturing a very busy day on the prom if you look closely it seems to show the old bathing station (not sure what you actually call it if its not that). I guess it was where you stripped-off down to your costume and went for a dip.
If you walk along this section of the prom behind the Parade Gardens you’ll see the remaining pieces of wrought iron and the stone path that take you down to the beach. A regular shortcut through the railings for me and the dog!
Nothing much has changed really over the 80+Â years has it? The railings are the same, the prom is still tarmac and concrete and the wall is pretty much the same (bar the blue fencing). The old street lighting has been replaced, though it doesn’t come on any longer (energy saving measure by Wirral Council) so it is quite dark of a night.
Possibly the only time the prom is a busy nowadays is when the Red Arrows fly above for Lifeboat Day. From the bit of handwriting I can make out on the reverse of the card it was a contradictory “very warm and mild” day.
The postmark on the card is 31-Aug-1929. Can someone explain to me why some items of clothing are in colour?
We used to call it “The Bathing Machine”. Not sure why and never saw it used. Arthur Daws
John, This postcard has been ‘hand-coloured. there was a fashion for hand colouring until the introduction of mass-market coloured film by Kodak. If you were to Google this there is a fascinating description on this technique and its history.
Hi John-
In 1929 most photographs were only in black and white. Post cards were very often “coloured in ” by an artist during manufacture. This appears to be one of those black and white photos that have been touched in.- particularly the sea and many of the people on it., I like it because it brings it to life.
John,
I thought we were looking at a pre WWI photograph here and was surprised to read that the post mark says 1929. On reflection, the photo could have been taken and used as a post card for years, prior to your particular copy being posted…
Until the ‘invention’ of colour photography (a hard one to date really, not perfected until the early 1930’s, and certainly not affordable to us masses until the 1970’s!!) hand tinting was the only way to improve on the monochrome of prints and I think that when done sensitively – lightly – it has great charm.
Lovely to see this, thanks!
Yes John, I too have photographs of grandparents which were “touched up” – coloured in by hand at the time of developing., before colour photography was affordable.
KC
The ladies fashion would suggest around 1910 rather than 1929. The wide-brimmed hats, ankle length dresses were de-rigueur then. By the late 20s skirts were to the knee and cloche hats were more the fashion.
Hand-tinting of photographs was common practice. My father would tint our family photos having processed them himself in the cupboard under the stairs. As a boy I remember having a clumsy go at tinting some myself. The general hint was that less is more.
Thanks all for the answer: hand-tinting!
In the photograph the fence panels are placed on the garden side of the pillars so creating a recess which provided a seat out of the wind. These alcoves each had a slatted wooden seat on top of the concrete. I think similar seats still survive on part of West Kirby promenade. However, in Hoylake the the current fencing is placed so that it is flush with the wall on the seaward side so the recesses and seats have been lost which is a shame.
Hi Peter,
Yes, you’re right and West Kirby prom does still have seats like those …giving you a little bit of shelter from the wind.