Victorian Writing Slope - My Pride & Joy!

[Shangas]

These old boxes are highly underrated, and vanishing treasures. Guard yours. They are becoming harder, and harder, and harder to find.

[Marlow]

OMG

 

Need I say more? Yes, I do!

 

Absolutely stunningly gorgeous.

 

Umm you wouldn't happen to want to sell it? :ltcapd:

 

Congratulations Marlow, it is truly exquisite. Thanks very much for documenting the

incredible craftsmanship so well through your photos.

 

A delightful journey back in time.

 

Thanks for the kind comments! As to your question... I'm afraid not! I'm far too attached to actually using it! But then I think you guessed that already!

M

[Marlow]

These old boxes are highly underrated, and vanishing treasures. Guard yours. They are becoming harder, and harder, and harder to find.

 

It's true that they're becoming harder to find although there are still some very nice examples to be found on 'that auction site'. The vast majority of them are, for obvious reasons, located here in the UK, however, so I would imagine shipping costs and import duty might add disproportinately to the cost of acquisition for non european residents. To bring such an item to the UK from outside the EU would have cost me an extra 30% of the purchase price including shipping costs plus the courier company's customs handling fee! [don't get me wrong: I love paying extra tax on things. Was a genuine disappointment to me that HMRC didn't benefit from this particular purchase of mine, but I gritted my teeth and got through it somehow! ]

 

edited for typo

Edited June 17, 2012 by Marlow

[Shangas]

I bought my box at the famous Portobello Road Antiques Market in the West End. I managed to get it all the way back to Australia in my luggage!

[Marlow]

I bought my box at the famous Portobello Road Antiques Market in the West End. I managed to get it all the way back to Australia in my luggage!

 

Now THAT is committment!

 

[pen2paper]

is there a piece of paper, or an actual photo separating the lock of hair from the plate?

 

are those tiny pearls by hair? wondering if the lock of hair is from someone else, as her hair appears curly to the root. Old images fascinating.. small sections of her coral beads appear to be hazy glass over 3D life

 

without opening the frame, are you able to see the back of the miniature? (whether it's porcelain or lines of ivory).

[Marlow]

Intriguing questions p2p! I will take a closer look in the morning and report back!

[Shangas]

I bought my box at the famous Portobello Road Antiques Market in the West End. I managed to get it all the way back to Australia in my luggage!

 

Now THAT is committment!

 

 

Thank you! Although my box is nowhere near as handsome as yours is, unfortunately.

[melissa59]

Your writing slope is absolutely stunning! And oh how much more special it is that it came with some of the previous owners most precious possessions!

 

I wonder if that photo locket with a lock of hair was a mourning locket. In the 1800s, loved ones sometimes kept a locket with a photo and lock of hair of their loved one as a memento.

[Marlow]

The story continues!

 

This is the back of the locket with the two pieces of packing card and the brass locket-divider removed

http://i46.tinypic.com/1z6eeyb.jpg

 

A better view of the (glass?) onto the back of which appears to be affixed some kind of resinous, tar-like material which contains the photograph! – it doesnt look at all like paper!

http://i49.tinypic.com/9090xt.jpg

 

Here the glass/photograph/resinous matter removed from the locket and showing the nibbled edges of the glass pinched-off to fit the shape of the locket.

http://i50.tinypic.com/9ir3pz.jpg

 

A view of what really do look like tiny pearls stuck onto a piece of a broken (plastic?) backing.

http://i45.tinypic.com/2csbe6s.jpg

 

Perhaps a slightly better view of the photo

http://i49.tinypic.com/34gvfqx.jpg

 

Another attempt

http://i50.tinypic.com/3fcm.jpg

 

TWO different coloured locks of hair were inside the locket:

http://i47.tinypic.com/risqxw.jpg

 

Could this, indeed, be a mourning locket / memento of two beloved ladies - the one one in the photo and the one in the miniature?!

 

I have the birth certificate (1929) and marriage certificate (1951) of a lady, Mary Jean Shirley, who became Mrs Woosnam upon marriage. There is also a last will and testament of a relative of Mary Shirley bequeathing her house and property to her in 1960.

 

I suddenly feel radically motivated to get to the bottom of all this, whilst feeling somewhat ashamed that I've waited this long to do so! :embarrassed_smile: Still, that was then and now is now and now I shall pursue it further!

 

Also, the off-white plastic-looking backing that was shattered when I received the slope appears to be either a very early form of plastic (did they make bakelite in this colour?!) or maybe some other material. It produces a relatively high-pitched 'chink' sound showing the material's density, and it is obviously quite brittle. I know I have all the pieces, however, as in the original listing photo it was intact and became damaged in transit due to careless packaging by the seller.

 

I already have two other 'quests' on at the moment (one regarding a work matter, one regarding a pen matter) - it looks as though I am about to add a third!

Edited June 18, 2012 by Marlow

[liapuyat]

What a treasure! What a story! Congratulations on your beautiful writing slope It would be amazing if you managed to get more information from the family that once owned it.

[DanielCoffey]

It looks like the photo of the girl was once in colour or hand coloured. Fiddling with the images in photoshop reveals the beads were pink with a clasp on the girls right that is yellow and the hair on her left (our right) has a distinct brownish tint.

[Marlow]

It looks like the photo of the girl was once in colour or hand coloured. Fiddling with the images in photoshop reveals the beads were pink with a clasp on the girls right that is yellow and the hair on her left (our right) has a distinct brownish tint.

 

Fascinating! Thank you! Being colour blind really is a nuisance sometimes as I only see the photo as black and white!

[Shangas]

Marlow:

 

The locket is a mourning-locket. Of that, I'm almost certain. Mourning-jewellery was very common before the early 20th century. It reached its peak during the Victorian era.

 

Keeping snippets of hair from the deceased was VERY common. It was a way of remembering the dead and the fleeting nature of life ("Momento Mori" as they say in Latin: "Remember your mortality"). The presence of hair, and what I STRONGLY suspect is a post-mortem photograph, is what makes me think this is a mourning-locket. The girl's features in the photograph look rather placid. As they would, if the photograph was taken after death, and touched up by the photographer prior to developing.

 

The "plastic" stuff may well be celluloid. One of the first plastics, it came out in the late 1800s, as a replacement for ivory in billiard-balls. Yes, the same stuff that we make pens out of.

[Hex]

It is stunning and I am nearly speechless at your treasure. There is also a great deal of jealousy running around in my head.

Words fail me to describe how beautiful and special that slope is.

And then you get the "hidden" contents as a bonus.

[Marlow]

Marlow:

 

The locket is a mourning-locket. Of that, I'm almost certain. Mourning-jewellery was very common before the early 20th century. It reached its peak during the Victorian era.

 

Keeping snippets of hair from the deceased was VERY common. It was a way of remembering the dead and the fleeting nature of life ("Momento Mori" as they say in Latin: "Remember your mortality"). The presence of hair, and what I STRONGLY suspect is a post-mortem photograph, is what makes me think this is a mourning-locket. The girl's features in the photograph look rather placid. As they would, if the photograph was taken after death, and touched up by the photographer prior to developing.

 

The "plastic" stuff may well be celluloid. One of the first plastics, it came out in the late 1800s, as a replacement for ivory in billiard-balls. Yes, the same stuff that we make pens out of.

 

 

Really?!?! Astounding thought! You think they would have arranged her, dressed, opened her eyelids and placed her arms in photographic pose post mortem?! Could that really be true?! There looks to me to be a slight tension in the chin area as though the somewhat enigmatic, expression were conscious rather than post mortem! I thought the pose, with slight downward gaze, was in fact typical of the period?

 

Where is this research/ analysis going to go next, I wonder?! :blink: :hmm1:

[Shangas]

Marlow:

 

The locket is a mourning-locket. Of that, I'm almost certain. Mourning-jewellery was very common before the early 20th century. It reached its peak during the Victorian era.

 

Keeping snippets of hair from the deceased was VERY common. It was a way of remembering the dead and the fleeting nature of life ("Momento Mori" as they say in Latin: "Remember your mortality"). The presence of hair, and what I STRONGLY suspect is a post-mortem photograph, is what makes me think this is a mourning-locket. The girl's features in the photograph look rather placid. As they would, if the photograph was taken after death, and touched up by the photographer prior to developing.

 

The "plastic" stuff may well be celluloid. One of the first plastics, it came out in the late 1800s, as a replacement for ivory in billiard-balls. Yes, the same stuff that we make pens out of.

 

 

Really?!?! Astounding thought! You think they would have arranged her, dressed, opened her eyelids and placed her arms in photographic pose post mortem?! Could that really be true?! There looks to me to be a slight tension in the chin area as though the somewhat enigmatic, expression were conscious rather than post mortem! I thought the pose, with slight downward gaze, was in fact typical of the period?

 

Where is this research/ analysis going to go next, I wonder?! :blink: :hmm1:

 

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. So I'll take it at face-value.

 

Yes. They did do all those things, and it was very common practice to do so. The body was dressed, propped, posed, and photographed. But the eyes were kept shut. The details of the eyes were added to the glass plate-negative before developing. I apologise if reading all this information is a waste of your time. I'm only trying to be helpful...

[Marlow]

is there a piece of paper, or an actual photo separating the lock of hair from the plate?

 

are those tiny pearls by hair? wondering if the lock of hair is from someone else, as her hair appears curly to the root. Old images fascinating.. small sections of her coral beads appear to be hazy glass over 3D life

 

without opening the frame, are you able to see the back of the miniature? (whether it's porcelain or lines of ivory).

 

The miniature moves slightly inside its frame and appears to be the same or similar glass-type object as the photo inside the locket. The artwork itself appears to be in pencil based on a very close examination. At this stage I'm not keen to remove the paper backing to the miniature.

 

I am waiting for a jeweller's loupe to arrive at which point I will gave a very close look at the items, including the 'pearls', which I had previosly thought to be 3 small globs of glue! :embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile: I know, I know. I feel as stupid as I have been inattentive until now!

[Marlow]

Marlow:

 

The locket is a mourning-locket. Of that, I'm almost certain. Mourning-jewellery was very common before the early 20th century. It reached its peak during the Victorian era.

 

Keeping snippets of hair from the deceased was VERY common. It was a way of remembering the dead and the fleeting nature of life ("Momento Mori" as they say in Latin: "Remember your mortality"). The presence of hair, and what I STRONGLY suspect is a post-mortem photograph, is what makes me think this is a mourning-locket. The girl's features in the photograph look rather placid. As they would, if the photograph was taken after death, and touched up by the photographer prior to developing.

 

The "plastic" stuff may well be celluloid. One of the first plastics, it came out in the late 1800s, as a replacement for ivory in billiard-balls. Yes, the same stuff that we make pens out of.

 

 

Really?!?! Astounding thought! You think they would have arranged her, dressed, opened her eyelids and placed her arms in photographic pose post mortem?! Could that really be true?! There looks to me to be a slight tension in the chin area as though the somewhat enigmatic, expression were conscious rather than post mortem! I thought the pose, with slight downward gaze, was in fact typical of the period?

 

Where is this research/ analysis going to go next, I wonder?! :blink: :hmm1:

 

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. So I'll take it at face-value.

 

Yes. They did do all those things, and it was very common practice to do so. The body was dressed, propped, posed, and photographed. But the eyes were kept shut. The details of the eyes were added to the glass plate-negative before developing. I apologise if reading all this information is a waste of your time. I'm only trying to be helpful...

 

Oh Goodness! Not trying to be sarcastic at all! :embarrassed_smile: I am so sorry if I conveyed sarcasm via my amazement at the possibility that such a thing could be true! I am truly grateful to benefit from your superior knowledge of such matters! You are most definitely not wasting my time AT ALL! I welcome all and any further comments you may wish to make and will certainly be giving serious research time into the points you have made! I hope I have addressed your concern and you have been MOST helpful indeed! :embarrassed_smile:

[pen2paper]

again, while I have an interest in such objects, I'm not an expert. Knowing perhaps just enough to share some leads.

This does appear to be a memory, memorial piece. The black substance may be black japan lacquer, or pitch, used to seal the edges of the photo to protect the fragile coating. Until you have it professionally resealed, handle the pieces a little as possible. Even the moisture/oils from dry hands is too much.

 

In the US there are publications that have sought to list Each photographer of the era, their locations, etc. including history of photographic processes. There are surely similar publications in the UK. I mentioned the card stock, as it may provide names or clues, as we see here. Either the photographer or jeweler who assembled the piece made have been in Leeds??? Note even high end buttons have pieces of cardstock within sealed all-metal buttons, this is generally the cause of buttons rusting from the Inside out, the paper gets damp.

 

Originally, the most likely backing would have been glass, to view the hair or glass with a hinged metal cover.

If this is celluloid, it would have been a later addition, after the original glass shattered. Celluloid likely shattered due to deterioration, more than an abrupt movement. When you have this restored, (necessary to save the photo from deteriorating), the pearls will need to be remounted on inert material, no celluloid included. With a divider between photo and objects, and glass back to see the hair. Guessing the hair is a lock of baby hair, and possibly a last lock of her hair. It does appear reddish in the photo.

She does appear to be in the 1850's style of dress. Stripes rather than plaid?, hoped if plaid that might be Identifiable. Fabric may still ID the time. Coral beads. That there appear to be buttons in front may place this closer to 60's than 50's.

 

The lady in miniature, again appears Georgian from the powdered to greyish hair, and style, hard to tell without viewing in hand.

 

Match all of this to the documents, and you will find quite a history.

Thanks for sharing.