This is a photograph of my nan. Bridget was born in 1900 in Ireland. The photo seems to be in a silver frame but it is not hanging on a wall or placed on a mantelpiece. Any ideas where it might be? I do not understand the black bars that are holding it in place.
Well the 'backing' appears to be chipboard although it may be some type of cork. The grill and backing board looks very similar to notice boards I've seen in old offices/factories. Perhaps the picture was slipped into one of these just to make it easier to photograph. This is just a wild guess of course!
Rather than the photograph actually sitting in a silver frame and the silver frame being behind the black bars, it looks more to me like the whole photograph includes the silver frame - in other words, you have a photograph of a silver frame with a photograph in it. This first photograph is then placed behind what could be like black shirring elastic on a cork board, so as to make photographing it easier. As Flook has said, those types of notice boards were often seen in old offices.
I think the photo was taken in Ireland possibly just after WW1. As you say it Jan, it is a photo of the framed photo. I can't seem to go with the office theory, it just does not seem to sit well with the 1920s in Ireland being as the photo of the photo is very old. I wondered if the background was stone rather than cork?
Re. the photo frame, it's interesting that the crease/tear to the right of your nan's neck seems to continue outwards across the frame. That makes me wonder whether it may be an embossed card frame, rather than a metal one. The lower right-hand side looks like it might have the same sort of texture as the inner layer of cardboard, after the surface has been peeled off. I have a similar shaped photo which is on card, and someone has made rather a hash of trying to trim the photo so that only the central oval remains. Your picture has that same sort of look, as if someone got a bit carried away with the scissors. I can't make out what the background material is. Just above the large photo you can see the bottom of what might be a carte de visite. They were a standard size, so if it is a carte that would give you some idea of the size of the larger photo.
Now that is an idea. I did think the background was stone instead of cork. Thank you. I think there is more interesting work to follow that theory through. Did gravestones have grills? I don't know.....
I have seen many photographs fixed to gravestones in Catholic cemeteries abroad. I tried googling to see if this happened in Ireland too, but didn't find anything very helpful. The arrangement in the photo doesn't look very waterproof though?
Maybe a war memorial? But then if it is, why would your nan's picture be on a war memorial? Was your granddad killed in the First World War?
Oh goodness me, I seem to remember being told nan's finance was killed in WW1, before she married my granddad. You may have sorted it for me. To the top left of the photo is what looks like a box, could that be part of the marble slab that had the names carved on? I've always wondered what that bit was. Thank you. x
This is the Nenagh war memorial: http://www. irishwarmemorials.ie/html/showPicture.php?pictureID=1650
Now that is very interesting, what a fantastic site Huncamunca, it has lots more memorials on it from all over Ireland, I will have to bookmark it. Thank you very much. I think 'The Experts' may well have solved my puzzle or at least come very close. Thanks again, I am so glad I asked.
It looks, at first glance, like some kind of mounting system to keep plates more or less vertical on a dresser (?)
That is what I am suggesting. It looks like a ceramic item, probably a plate and, as such, it would require a mounting to stop it falling off the dresser.
Thank you, I'll listen to any suggestions. What do you think the dresser/display cabinet is made of? We have thought the background to the picture might be cork, chipboard or stone. Do you think it might be wood?
I thought initially that it looked like a wooden dresser but, looking at the picture again, I wonder if the displayed items are hanging on a wall, with wallpaper behind them?
After looking closely - I agree I think the background is wallpaper. Whether it is directly on the wall or in a cabinet I have no further ideas. But I too think the frame could be some sort of card.