Dating Hertfordshire Photographs & Postcards

I am currently sorting out my large collection of Hertfordshire post cards and earlier CDV & Cabinet photographs and plan to expand this area of the web site to help you to date old photographs and post cards. Over the last three month I have updated the following pages - in some cases adding significant new material while in others simply add an earlier postal date for a post card. 

For more information

Hertfordshire Post Cards & other pictures

Expect many further updates over the coming months

If you can let me know of other relevant material to include do not hesitate to contact me.

Earliest Hertfordshire Photographers - 1851-65
Avery - photographer - Hitchin (1864-70) & Kent
Barnard - portraits - Bedford & St Albans 1878-94
Bedwell - Bedford post card publisher 1903-4
Blum & Degan - National post card publisher - to 1908
Boots Chemists - National post card publishers
Brown -  Rickmansworth - pre WW1 post cards
Clarendon Series - Watford - early post cards
Coles - photographer - Watford - portraits & post cards - from 1890
Craddock - photographer - Hertford (1857) and India
Crown Publishing (Karaktus)- comic postcards - St Albans 1908-9
Cull - photographer - Watford - particularly First World War
Darrah - photographer - Rickmansworth - post WW1 post cards
Downer - photographer - Watford - from 1862 - early post cards
Dyke - ventriloquist & photographer - Watford - c1890
Elsden - photographer - Hertford - from 1859 - early post cards
Garrood - photographer - Hertford - 1860s
Hartmann - National post card publisher - to 1909
Hill - Berkhamsted - early post cards
Knight Brothers - National post card publisher 1904-08
Loosley - Berkhamsted - post cards
Loosley - Watford - early post cards
London View Company - National post card publisher - 1905-8
Payne - photographer - Aylesbury, Thame & Tring - 1864-1912
Photochrom - National post card publisher
Rawlings- Watford - early post cards
Richardson (Richardo Studios) - St Albans - early post cards
Shaw - photographer - Watford & Hemel Hempstead 1869-82
Shurrey - National magazine publisher - early post cards
Smith - National post card publisher
Southwood - photographer - Watford - portraits & post cards 1900-30s
Stengel - National post card publisher - undivided backs
Thridgould - National post card printer
Valentine - National post card publisher - from 1886
Vipond - travelling photographer - visited Hertford 1859
Wrench - National post card publisher 1902-1904

The London View Company and its possible connections with Hertfordshire and Karaktus.

In the first few years of the 20th century there was an explosion of postcard collecting - and many firms rushed to the market. One of these was the London View Company, which was founded in 1905, expanded rapidly - became a limited company in 1906 and failed in 1907 or 8. While it published view cards from all over the country the only ones I have so far traced relating to Hertfordshire are of Watford.

Swiss Cottage, Watford - London View Co.

Dating a picture of Shenley Post Office

The Star Coffee Tavern and Post Office, Shenley

This picture must have been taken by 1905, as it appears on a post card carrying this date. But how much earlier is it. I thought this would be an easy card to date but soon run up with a problem. The big house is clearly the "Star Coffee Tavern" and the Post Office is the shop to the left run by J A Tidey. However the big house is still standing and Google street view shows it is called The Old Post Office, and I could not find (in the limited time I had originally allocated) any reference to Tidey being the post master.

However a bankruptcy in 1903 suggests that Tidey may have become the postmaster when the previous postmaster had gone bankrupt - and if this is the case the photograph cannot have been tahen before 1903 - so it must be between 1903-1905.

The Star Coffee Tavern also gave problems - as the only reference I could find was in 1890 - but the most likely explanation is that the big house was multiply occupied - bu the baker and by a "Club House.

More Information.

Tug of War - are they Watford Footballers??

Tug of War - but who are they?

This post card was produced by Harry Cull, of 169 St Albans Road, Watford, probably shortly after the end of the First World War. The tuggers all have very distinctive matching shirts, with a "Z" in a shield, suggesting that they are part of a local football. The building in the distance on the right has a distinctive shape - so may be a clue to the location. Finally the distinctive numbering may be a clue and other cards from the same event might have the same numbering system. If I has more examples with similar numbering it should be possible to narrow the likely date and perhaps even identify the event  and the names of the teams competing in the tug of war.

Football

See other post cards

taken by Harry Cull, 

or of Hertfordshire football teams.