On 26th May 2024 11:52am, Annewiggy said:
Sorry, I keep getting drawn back to 8 Clements Street ! Rob, does it say any more on the back of the picture, would it be possible to have a shot of it ? I still feel that the block of houses were in some stage rebuilt, newer brickwork and the line of fancy brickwork does not appear in any other in the street. There was bomb damage in Clements Street as there is a file on Coventry Collections of photographs. Also a petition was raised in 1957 asking for something to be done about the bomb site on the corner of Villiers Street and Clements Street. All obviously conjecture again ! Whatever, I still think it must be in the Stoke area as almost all the pictures I have seen by that photographer, even the ones in Coventry Graphic are in that area.
It seems likely that this photo was the family in their newbuild. An enterprising photographer may have made a point of visiting all the new properties in the city, hoping to pick up custom. 'Hello, I'm in the area this week, could I interest you in a portrait of you and your family in front of your house? Special price if you take up the offer today'. So while he may have been based in one area, he may have done block shoots elsewhere. Like all those street views that have just been uploaded on CD, he may have also taken generic views to sell to those who couldn't afford portraits.
You see the same activity earlier but of the much wealthier residential areas and much later but with aerial shots of properties.
