I guess we start with a confession, which those who know me will not be surprised by...I love to shop. Whether this is an affliction or a good thing depends on your view point, and I do have my own justification and philosophy but that's not the point of this post. Rather, I want to introduce you to the joy of the found.
Whilst rootling through the stock of a local antique centre I can across a treasure, a decent quantity of glass plate negatives. A quick negotiation later, the box was mine and I wended my way home with a bag full of water damaged, sharped edged wonder.
Only when I got home did I realise the extent of the damage to some of the negatives. The emulsion was peeling off a lot of them, but fortunately none of the plates were cracked (although a few had chipped edges. Regardless, the next step was to scan.
As well as wearing gloves to avoid any issue with sharp edges and the emulsion, I also was concerned about damaging the glass of my scanner. To solve this, I covered the platten (if that's the correct technical term) with overhead projection film (old school Powerpoint to those who don't know) and then scanned away.
I was delighted with the images that appeared. Not only were they indicative of the time they were shot (mid-war at a guess) but they were also really nice images in their own right. Clearly the photographer was talented and able to put her subjects at ease (something I struggle with). Talking of whom, based on some proof prints that were included with the negatives I found that the photographer was called Ruth Compton-Dando, and she worked in Iverna Gardens, Kensington. Apart from that I know nothing about her, and I am happy that way having had more than enough of found images being hyped beyond all recognition.
So, what's the point of this post. Well I guess in part to share some images that I think are really wonderful. I also wanted to give you something to think about. What other treasures are out there, what might you find one day, and what inspiration could you take from it. Think on, and enjoy the images.
