Saturday 3rd Movember: Men and flowers

Who knows where these men are from. There's not a single jot of information printed on the back of the postcards, and no particular clues as to location on the fronts. What they seem to have in common, apart from a moustache, are the carefully-posed plants they chose at the photographer's studio to enhance their portrait. Perhaps they were trying to say something with flowers...

But wait a minute...

When you look closer at the painted backdrop on both photographs it becomes apparent that they were in fact taken in the SAME studio. That tree to the left in the first photograph is identical to the right-most tree in the second photograph. The painted balustrade is the same as well. Just a quick change of furniture, whip out a few plants and, voila!, we are transformed.

I like to think these two men worked together at their own little florist's shop, somewhere on a quiet street in Paris.

Friday 2nd Movember: France

Two Frenchman, one in footballing clothes and the other in uniform.

I know nothing about the first man, except that he has very large ears. 

The second one is Maurice Chabanne and he is politely (using 'vous' rather than 'tu') writing to someone on the 26th December 1923. With my limited French I think it says something like this:

"I am asking you to come to dinner at midday, if you want to that is. You'll get chicken and rabbit. For the time being father is in hospital and 20 doctors have told him not to eat until after Christmas. For the moment they are giving him valerian tablets." 

I suppose Maurice didn't want all that spare meat to go to waste but we will never know who the guest was to be. Probably a neighbour because the postcard was hand delivered, if delivered at all, for there is no stamp. 

Interestingly, the French don't celebrate Boxing Day on the 26th December; it is just a normal working day.

Friday 2nd Movember: France & Germany

More moustache anonymity: both photographic postcards are unposted and carry no information. One is obviously French, the other obviously German.

It was essential to have something to lean on when having your portrait taken - be it a chair or a table - and to wear a cap (or kepi). Care has been taken to ensure that one's moustache presents as well-maintained.

The insouciance of the Frenchman contrasts nicely with the pomposity of the German - whose graver posture is somewhat leavened by the cheap vase of dried flowers by his side, crudely pasted with a photograph of his (judging by the enormous cross at his throat) military leader (also with moustache)...

Friday 2nd Movember: Kingston, Jamaica

The Duperly family were Parisian photographers with their first business established in Jamaica as early as 1840. The trade was passed down through the generations, from Adolphe to Armand to Theophile. In 1907 they fought fire (losing their original premises) and handicap (losing a hand in the inferno) but managed to carry on photographing the bon ton of Kingston until 1920. The last Duperly in Jamaica, Theophile, died in 1933.

This photograph was probably taken after the great fire in their new premises in 85, King Street Kingston. Our soldier has his pith helmet proudly displayed on a fantastic rattan chair - the very symbol of colonial supremacy that has caused Melania Trump such trouble in recent weeks...

Friday 2nd Movember: UK

Two photographic postcards with no information whatsoever. Both British, that much I know.

No doubt there are military experts out there who, from the uniforms, can immediately tell regiments, dates and ranks. All I can do is point out that someone hasn't buttoned up their uniform properly. Naughty, naughty.

Thursday 1st Movember: Colchester and Batna, Algeria

 

An English soldier from Colchester and a French soldier from Batna in Algeria. Roughly contemporaneous. One with a swagger stick, the other clutching a pair of gloves.

I am loving the Algerian rustic love seat and have a similar-looking occasional table in my bedroom.

Thursday 1st Movember: Mystery location and Sofia

This first image is historically too late for my collection: it looks post WW1 to me and 1918 is generally my cut-off point. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist its painterly charms.

I have always assumed the two men photographed were Latin American but the back of the card seems to be British. Perhaps they were visiting London and had this taken as a souvenir to send back to Buenos Aires...

The man on the right wins hands down in the looks department...

Secondly, I present another postcard which is historically rather late for my collection and which features moustaches which are frankly perfunctory, but once more I couldn't resist it. There's a mandolin! He's serenading him!

The two soldiers are Bulgarian (the back of the postcard has an address in Sofia, bottom left). It's dated 1918. Is there anyone out there who can make out/translate the text for me?