Old England In Photos: 1895-1917

~ beetleypete

A random selection of photos from the end of Victoria’s reign, until WW1.

(Some photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

A shop in London selling caged birds, 1895. Singing birds like Canaries were very popular in Victorian households.

A group of skilled metalworkers, 1895.

These children are in a country lane in Oxfordshire, 1900.

Workers making wooden carts, 1900. The small boys are apprentices.

Diggers creating a ship canal, 1900.

A flooded street in Cambridgeshire, 1905.

Women making clothing in a factory, 1910.

Circus perfomers advertising the arrival of the circus in a village, 1910.

Farm workers in the countryside, 1912. The children were expected to help with the harvest.

Munitions workers in 1917, during WW1.

54 thoughts on “Old England In Photos: 1895-1917”

  4. I look at those pictures and especially the faces of the people and I am fascinated by the fact they actually lived way before I was even born. I am imagining that someday somebody will be looking at a picture of me and thinking much the same thing. This series of photos was haunting and wonderful.

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  6. (1) I know why the caged bird sings.
    (2) Never meddle with metalworkers. If you do, they’ll work you over!
    (3) John Denver never took that country lane. It doesn’t lead to West Virginia.
    (4) First the wooden carts. And then the carousel horses. (“When it comes to scheduling our work, we put the cart before the horse.”)
    (5) Charlton Heston, on the set of The Ten Commandments: “We’re gonna need a wider canal.”
    (6) Cambridgeshire tried to become the next Venice. But the city failed to pull it off.
    (7) Overheard at the clothing factory:
    Worker #1: “I’m thinking of getting transferred to China.”
    Worker #2: “You and everyone else, hon!”
    (8a) The real stars of the circus are the lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, and elephants. John Dolittle tried to coax them into announcing the arrival of the circus, but they refused by falling back on roaring, growling, grunting, chattering, and trumpeting… (Dolittle then evened the score by refusing to play Jumanji.)
    (8b) Did you hear about the werewolf who applied for a job as a carnival barker?
    (9) Overheard:
    Father: “C’mon, son! We need ya t’help us out here! Whatcha waitin’ for?”
    Son: “The harvest moon.”
    (10) Overheard: “I’m applying for a factory job. I hope they give me a shot at munitions…”

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  15. Pingback: Old England In Photos: 1895-1917 | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  19. Not one using a cell phone. Maybe the cell phone tower down. Not one moaning. Maybe Trump hadn’t made them great yet.
    Not one talking bout Coro St. Maybe they facing the wrong way from their TV sets.
    And I bet you not one using “like” every 2nd word.
    Oh the peace I see in them photos eh.

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