Label your old photos

Forty years ago I was given a beautiful birthday present, an old photo
album. It was half full of a family's photos and I somehow felt I couldn't
just pull them out and chuck them. Yesterday I reckoned it was time to fill
it up with my own family photos and hoped, as I was easing the pictures out
of their slots, that one of them at least would have a name or some details
written on the back. I now have a problem. What do I do with fifteen
unmarked photos? It goes against the grain to throw them in the bin and I
can't see that they are of interest to anyone outside the album's family.
I'd date them all as roughly 1890-1910. Just for the record, I'll list
below what information I've gleaned (with photographers' names), but
meanwhile I thought it might be worth passing on a useful lesson: LABEL YOUR
OLD PHOTOS, or at least pencil details on the back for future generations.
A photo of a face has little value if no-one knows who it is.

The family seems to have come from the south coast of England somewhere -
the women's photos/cards/cartes de visite have the photographer's name:
A E Harding, Portsmouth; Kent & Lacey, Eastbourne; two are C Hawkins and H
Edwards, Brighton; Lionel Bertram, Landport (this sailor's cap reads "HMS
Victory").

chris_doran...

I'll hazard a guess that "HMS Victory" (VI) was the Royal Navy training
school which took over the Crystal Palace during WW1. The
photographer's name/address would clinch it -- very often Everitt of 63
Anerley Road.

Don Aitken...

Landport is in Portsmouth. HMS Victory is Nelson's original flagship,
which, although drydocked as a tourist attraction, is still in
commission; the personnel of a number of RN shore establishments in
and around Portsmouth, have traditionally been carried on her books,
as they still are. So long as she remains in commission, the name is
not available for any other RN establishment.

myths...

Excerpt from

" The Crystal Palace establishment under
its official title of `HMS Victory IV` "

Graeme Wall...

HMS Victory is the flagship of Flag Officer, Portsmouth so his staff are
carried on her books.

The rest are of sailors in the Far East:
Two teenage sailors, Yong Seng, Hongkong: three photos of sailors, Lai Sin &
Co, Wei-Hai-Wei; three more by A King photographers, Hong Kong - one
sailor's cap shows "HMS Glory" and another shows a more elderly sailor,
posher outfit, maybe a captian, and on the door by his side is written
"Cyprian A G Bridge 1903". What this refers to I've no idea.

Sacha...

A very short web-search on that brings this up. Maybe the photo is of the
Admiral himself beside the door to his cabin:

Sacha...

Naval records might reveal the ID of the sailors. And photographers' old
plates sometimes go into the records of a local museum or historical
society. It would be worth trying that method of identifying them.

Alan Murphy...

Years ago I bought for a few pence in South Wales
a family album. Lots of shots and not a single one
identified, except for one which says, my first photo,
Fishguard. The family is obviously well heeled and
all of them, ladies and gents alike are extremely
handsome (particularly the ladies :-)). Some day
soon I will put up the pictures and they will be
recognised and restored to the family. How much
easier would it have been if only a single picture had
been identified.

Label your old photos - please!