A photo taken of a family outing at Stonehenge in 1875. It is reckoned to be the oldest photo of the stones in existence. The horse managed to keep nice and still.
Privately owned for a good part of its life and then sold to Cecil Chubb for £6,600. English Heritage are trying to make a fortune out of it, £20 tickets for goodness sake. Lovely photo, no smiling of course in Victorian times.
Long exposure with no flash - i.e. take the cap off the lens for 2 or more seconds in sunlight - plenty of time for the horse to nod its head or humans to blink.
Much more to be known here. There are two women driving the rig, and seem to be all that fit in it. Who is the man? I don't understand the time and have no knowledge of what might be going on.
Fabulous photo! I saw Stonehenge two times - first time one could wander among the stones - second time: plastic tapes around it, busloads of people -- nay....
Two young ladies on a Victorian madcap adventure. The man looks as though he'd like to walk before with a red flag, though perhaps the thought was that the horse might be made skittish by the magnesium flash.
Super photo Tom.
ReplyDeleteCredit: Somerset Life, from the family in the picture.
DeletePrivately owned for a good part of its life and then sold to Cecil Chubb for £6,600. English Heritage are trying to make a fortune out of it, £20 tickets for goodness sake. Lovely photo, no smiling of course in Victorian times.
ReplyDelete£20 to get up to Stonehenge? Avebury is much better, free, and it has a pub in it.
DeleteWith all the powder those old cameras used, it's a wonder any photo turned out clear. I'm especially impressed at how still the horse is.
ReplyDeleteWhat powder?
DeletePowder in the flash?
DeleteMagnesium? Why would that cloud the photos? Anyway, no flash used here. Longish exposure.
DeleteOh, i thought all the ones in the 19th century needed a flash. Shows how little I know about it.
DeleteLong exposure with no flash - i.e. take the cap off the lens for 2 or more seconds in sunlight - plenty of time for the horse to nod its head or humans to blink.
DeleteI am impressed at the horse too, when you consider how long the exposures used to be.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it took 10 takes.
DeleteMuch more to be known here. There are two women driving the rig, and seem to be all that fit in it. Who is the man? I don't understand the time and have no knowledge of what might be going on.
ReplyDeleteNor me.
DeleteFabulous photo!
ReplyDeleteI saw Stonehenge two times - first time one could wander among the stones - second time: plastic tapes around it, busloads of people -- nay....
It attracts too much attention now. I am always struck by how small it is.
DeleteIt is but a small part of a greater whole.
DeleteAnd they continually discover more, covering square miles.
DeleteTwo young ladies on a Victorian madcap adventure.
ReplyDeleteThe man looks as though he'd like to walk before with a red flag, though perhaps the thought was that the horse might be made skittish by the magnesium flash.
He is certainly keeping the horse calm, but I don't think there was a flash.
Delete