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This year The Family Museum has been digitising our large collection of standard 8 and Super 8mm films. The collection can be viewed Here: https://www.youtube.com/@thefamilymuseum6603/videos

In the mid-1970s, three women in their twenties decided to treat themselves to a Mediterranean cruise ship holiday. They sailed with the Fred Olsen Lines ‘Winter Cruise Club’ aboard the M. S. Blenheim, which began its service in 1970, and weighed 10,427 tons. These souvenir photos were taken by a professional photographer working for ‘OnboardContinue reading “M. S. Blenheim”

Photographer’s studios, like any business, have to innovate to survive. Over the years they have come up with all manner of gimmicks and offers to attract the weary eye. The photographer’s studio here offered a rudimentary superimposed, photo collage technique that could place a treasured photo of a loved one in the shot too.  ThisContinue reading “A Letter Home”

About a decade ago, a friend of mine bought a house in Hemel Hempstead. When she took occupancy, the adopted son of the deceased couple who had lived there had removed almost nothing from the property, including the family’s photos. There were about 100 images in all. Many were, or had been, in frames, includingContinue reading “Love’s Light”

This album was compiled by a woman in her early 20s, known throughout as ‘I’ or ‘me’. It covers about three years between 1964 and 1966, apart from two photos, and includes her mum, dad, brother and sister, ‘Phillip and Jeanne’, ‘Gran’ and ‘Granddad, and the dog ‘Major’. Most of the album is of peer-groupContinue reading “Down Arlesey”

Of the countless of albums I have viewed, one thing they share most predictably, along with their common domestic themes, is the psychological focus of the photographer. Rarely in a family album can one see, except in their most rudimentary form, the artistic consideration of, say, framing, composition, perspective or atmosphere, let alone symbolism orContinue reading “An Accidental Artist”

“Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events.” Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization, 2016–present One thing that 2022 is likely to be remembered for is being the year in which climate change became a materially conscious realityContinue reading “Some Summers Have Gone”

Many of the significant events, milestones and rites of passage in our lives are marked by photographic commemorations. Christenings, birthdays, weddings and anniversaries all appear in family albums with comforting regularity. Yet family albums can also record more intimate moments, which are no less common. This photographer is a 13-year-old boy. Albums compiled by peopleContinue reading “Last Day with the Foxes”

It would be sad to let the death of Queen Elizabeth II pass without paying some small tribute – she had been on the throne all my life. This set of seven photos was published as a supplement in the magazine Welcome Weekly in 1952, the year of George VI’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension toContinue reading “Farewell to All That”

On Sunday, 18 September, The Family Museum will be taking part in the Art Workers’  Guild Table Top Museum exhibition in Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London. We plan to display our comprehensive collection of tintype photographs, so I thought this would be an ideal time to write about one of the rarer photos that we haveContinue reading “Swan Song”