Posted in 1940s Fashion Ireland, tagged 1940s Fashion, 1940s Ireland, Cassidy's Shop Dublin, Found Photographs, Irish Snapshots, Switzers Department Store, The Emergency, Vernacular Photography, World War II on August 18, 2011| 2 Comments »
Just a quick post to say that I’ll be giving a talk tomorrow, Friday 19th of August, at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, on the subject of fashion and dress in Ireland during World War Two. Amongst other things, I’ll be talking about rationing, demob suits and how according to Switzers Department store “slacks were playing an increasingly important role in the modern young lady’s wardrobe.”
The tour starts at 12.30 and further details can be found here.
Posted in World War Two, tagged Derby Yeomanry, Found Photographs, Found photos Ireland, Irish Photography, Irish Snapshots, Snapshot Aesthethic, Snapshot Photography, Vernacular Photography, World War II on July 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This image comes from a small snapshot album covering the mid 1930s to the end of World War Two. It starts with carefree photos of young people at various seaside towns in England and moves on to wartime shots of military hospitals and navy ports. The final image is of the gravestone of Frank William Holloway of the Derby Yeomanry, who died in Tunisia aged 25 on the 26th March 1943.
The middle of the album includes several photographs taken in Ireland when a group of men were on leave from the British Army. It typifies the playfulness of the snapshot and I love the abstract shapes created by the unusual positioning of the four friends as they look down at the camera.
The intersection of text and images adds to the page though I’ll probably never know who the ‘me’ captioned in the photo was! The repeated use of the same photographs is something I have encountered in many amateur albums and one wonders whether they were added as filler or to make a particular point within the narrative.
Posted in Kodak in Ireland, tagged 1930s Dublin, 1940s Dublin, Art Deco in Dublin, Irish Photography, Irish Snapshots, Kodak advertisements, Kodak Centre Rathmines, Kodak in Ireland, The Emergency, World War II on March 1, 2010| 2 Comments »
I came across this advertisement for Kodak in Ireland which dates from 1940. It mentions war time shortages and the fact that Kodak cameras were currently unavailable. The George Eastman House has an extensive collection of Kodak advertisements many of which, like the one above, depict fashionable young women.
The ad also refers to Kodak House in Rathmines. This Art Deco building was designed by the architectural firm of Donnelly, Moore & Keatinge in 1930 and was used by the firm until 1982. William Sedgwick Keatinge was also responsible for later additions in 1949 and 1951. The building was recently renovated and the following atmospheric photograph demonstrates how well it has survived.
Jacolette: 