Help dating some old glass plate images

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Morinaka

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A couple of months back at an auction house i came across an auction lot with 28 glass plate slides (also a nikon fe, extension tube, seven 9x12cm plate holders with unused plates in them and misc bits) that i won but i have no idea what time period these were shot in, wonder if anyone could help me with that. I'm guessing either early 1930's or late 1940's/early 1950's, but i can't say for sure.

They are all shot on warm tone glass plate slides, most of them are from around Nottingham, one is from Newcastle and they all bare the name F. Parker on them, selected the ones that might prove more useful for dating.

Here are scans of the three types of slide boxes they were stored, barnet, ilford and kodak L5 plate

This one is labelled as King George V Bridge, Newcastle-on-Tyne
XYGzyV9.jpg


Old 'Flying Horse' Hotel, Nottingham
M6PkhLb.jpg


Wells Cathedral, West Front
QlNS0qG.jpg


Clifton Grove, near Nottingham
1tYGUGo.jpg


In Holme Lock
xw9Ku75.jpg
 
Wikipedia says the Flying Horse was heavily restored in 1935, and looking at that photo it looks in pretty good condition so perhaps soon after that?
 
Judging by the style of flatbed in the first photograph, I would say the late 40,s early 50,s.
 
Carl Hall said:
Wikipedia says the Flying Horse was heavily restored in 1935
Click to expand...

I'm tempted to suggest that the OP's photo actually predates 1935 on that basis.

This image on Francis Frith was taken in 1920

http://www.francisfrith.com/nottingham/nottingham-the-flying-horse-hotel-1920_69427

Note the large paned windows, horse flat-painted on a dark background and lack of elaborate plasterwork as in the OP's version.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/89/b7/b389b7f439222d2d68009d222dd29ef0.jpg

Whereas, here, in 1968, there are small paned windows, a bas-relief horse and elaborate plasterwork across the front.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fawbs/3453215093/in/photostream/

This is substantially as the building appears today.

The timber work of the jettied gable also appears to have been significantly changed by 1968, the right-hand wing now has lost its stone mullioned windows (notably absent in the 19th century when it was also much shorter) and there are much more decorative chimney stacks than in the 1920 view.

In fact, it looks like the whole of the right hand side of the pub including the jettied gable was rebuilt in 1935. However the rightmost part of the elevation previously rebuilt sometime before 1920 to provide greater floor heights.
 
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The Tyne Bridge was completed in 1928, so we can safely say that that photo was taken after that date. :)

If all the pictures were taken about the same time, then that might narrow the period down to between 1928 and 1935
 
I had thought maybe early 1930's because of the bridge name, i can't find any info on it being called the King George V Bridge only that he opened it, so it might have been a local nickname as googling only says it has been called the Tyne Bridge.
It's also annoying that i can't find any information on the glass plates themselves, you'd think someone somewhere would have documented the production dates for Kodak L5 warm tone plates, i had even thought about emailing the kodak museum but i doubt i'd get a reply.
 
I've been doing a little studying and I believe the Tyne Bridge view is probably late 1930s.

Tucked under the Gateshead side of the bridge (next to where the Sage is now) you can see the hill where were some buildings were demolished in about 1935.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/what...photos-englands-past-present-feature-11101999

Big View

Another Frith view, but by 1950 it is covered in scrub

https://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/4086873148

that has developed into fully grown trees by 1967

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/5157980372

In your image, it's still quite bare.
 
Well I'd be surprised if many people was taking hobby shots during the war so the flying horse shot could be 1935-1939 and the trolley bus lines and gas lamp and no tv aerials would certainly been there also in late 40s to 50s...best I can do being bought up in the London area :(
 
RaglanSurf said:
Maybe an email to the council would help, they have their own archive https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/leisur...es-and-family-history/tyneside-life-and-times
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Found this one in the archive from 1950 which look very close to my one so i'm guessing late 40's early 50's, might see if i can track down info on the truck in the photo, also knowing when the plates themselves were available at retail would narrow down a bit as well but there seems to be zero info on plate stuff online.

056617:Newcastle Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Frith F. c. 1950 by Newcastle Libraries, on Flickr
 
Morinaka said:
On the side of the Kodak box it says 3¼ x 3¼ inch or 8.2 x 8.2cm plates, Kodak Plates Warm Tone Lantern L5.
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That's quarter plate, isn't it? I'm struggling to think of a camera which used that size, but my money would be on pre-1939 for the camera, pre-1950 for the pictures. In 1961-2 I worked part-time while still at school in a chemist/photographic shop, and one of the store-rooms still had plenty of old odds and sods in it including half-plate plates and a couple of sizes of cut film. We were still selling 828, 116 and 616 film, but quarter-plate was well obsolete by then. In fact I reckon it's the only plate size under 8 x 10 that I've never actually seen!
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
That's quarter plate, isn't it? I'm struggling to think of a camera which used that size, but my money would be on pre-1939 for the camera, pre-1950 for the pictures. In 1961-2 I worked part-time while still at school in a chemist/photographic shop, and one of the store-rooms still had plenty of old odds and sods in it including half-plate plates and a couple of sizes of cut film. We were still selling 828, 116 and 616 film, but quarter-plate was well obsolete by then. In fact I reckon it's the only plate size under 8 x 10 that I've never actually seen!
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I guess it's quarter plate, it's the only thing that comes close. All the info on quarter plate suggest it's a 3.25" x 4.25" size though (same as polaroid pack film) rather than the square ones i have, though i guess you could use both sizes in that kind of camera.
Also since you haven't seen one i took a quick picture of the plate itself.
8GjaaJd.jpg
 
Since these are positives, are they likely to be contact "prints", or reversal b&w processes?
 
kendo1 said:
I looked at tram dates in Nottingham and it looks like they stopped in 1936 and were replaced by autobuses.

The picture of The Flying Horse shows overhead tram cables.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notti..._-_The_end_of_tramcar_operation_in_Nottingham

1936 - The end of tramcar operation in Nottingham...
Click to expand...

Trolley buses were also used in Nottingham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_Nottingham and I remember them well in outer London and guys lighting the gas lamps and this was in the later 1950s...in the same period Tramcars were still going in central London at places like Westminster bridge and was all fun riding in them and watching the guys take the long pole situated under the trolleybus when the driver took a too wide turn and had to hook the bus arms back onto the cables after they came off.
 
ChrisR said:
Since these are positives, are they likely to be contact "prints", or reversal b&w processes?
Click to expand...

These were sold as lantern plates, so i'm assuming that means they are meant to be projected and are processed as positives for that. Actually looking at one of the Ilford boxes it does say 'for contact and reduction' on it with development instructions.
ZCFUFg7.jpg
 
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excalibur2 said:
Trolley buses were also used in Nottingham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_Nottingham and I remember them well in outer London and guys lighting the gas lamps and this was in the later 1950s...in the same period Tramcars were still going in central London at places like Westminster bridge and was all fun riding in them and watching the guys take the long pole situated under the trolleybus when the driver took a too wide turn and had to hook the bus arms back onto the cables after they came off.
Click to expand...

That was the 1850's Brian, remember, when you were at school. :D
 
I was thinking this morning about something that didn't cross my mind before, in the auction lot i got these plates from were six zeiss 9x12cm plate holders (they still have unused plates in them amazingly), i'm wondering if the glass plates i have are reductions from that to slides.
The images i have are a mix of aspect ratios so that might make more sense, someone shooting 9x12cm is more likely than quarter plate in the early 1950's.

If anyone knows any one who would like those holders i'd post them out as i have no use for them, or any way to shoot or develop them, or if they are even viable.
 
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