The Gallery: Black & White

The lovely Tara has set us a challenge this week of 'Black and White'.

In my mind straight away popped two photos that I wanted to share for this post and I can't find them now! They're stunning photos as well, one is of my nan when she was approximately twenty years old and was a formal studio photo. She looked so young and happy in it, anticipating the joy of her entire life. The other photo was of my bampi in his army uniform in Africa, he was in the Desert Rats. A few years ago I had the small snapshots blown up and edited to remove the creases, then framed for my mum. The minute she opened them, she did something that I've never seen before, she cried with nostalgia and affection for the parents who died years before.

Unfortunately they are still packed up from her move so I can't even scan them in to show you.

In the meantime I want to share a selection of other gems from the past. They're photos of my mum, my dad and his brother, my brothers, my nan and her sister. All show the simplicity of black and white, the innocence of youth.

Wait! I've found them, so apologies for editing this post to add them both in but they are the ones I originally wanted to show.

Both were taken in the Winter of 1943 while bampi was serving in the Desert Rats. Bampi was 26 and already looks like life serving in World War 2 has taken its toll. Nan was just 21 and still fresh-faced. They married six months after these photos were taken and a year later my mum was born (their only child as my nan suffered a still-birth at 8 months pregnant).

1923 – 1994

1917 – 1980.

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Comments

  1. says

    What a great present to give your mum. I love those first two pics. Think my my mum can count on one hand the pics she has of her own parents as children.

    • TheBoyAndMe says

      I think that because there aren't a lot of photos around from me as a baby, that's why I take so many of The Boy! Plus digital photos are so much easier, instant image means you can take another, but then does it mean we don't bother with the composition so much?

    • TheBoyAndMe says

      That lady is my mum when she was 17 years old; she had an 18inch waist! Can you even imagine it? I love the skirt too, wouldn't look out of place nowadays I reckon.

  2. says

    I love the fact you have all these old photos- I wish I did but I don't I am sure I wll aquire some over the years. Love the one of your Grandpa, he looks rather dashing in his uniform- my grandfather has some very similar!

    • TheBoyAndMe says

      We've had loads passed down from relatives long gone. Top tip: write the name of the person and date taken on the back, so frustrating when you have no idea who that person sat on the roof of the Rolls in front of the manor house in the country is. True story, rich relative? No idea!

  3. says

    What beautiful photos to have. Something so special about old pictures of family members from years gone by. It's lovely looking at them and trying to picture what their lives were like back then and get a glimpse into their personalities from the expressions on their faces. Definitely things to treasure!

  4. Jenny Paulin says

    I love looking at old black and White photos – always so interesting to see (like when we watch Who Do You Think You Are) so much history behind them. I love how you own name for your grandad bampi so sweet. Thanks for sharing them xx

  5. Kathleen says

    Great pictures. I love old black and white pictures. There's something so special about them. In this digital age where everything is on hard drive they are to be treasured.

  6. says

    Lovely photos. We take so many these days and sometimes they don't seem to capture the moment as much as those ones from the past. I guess they were more precious as people only took a few.

  7. says

    What a lovely post and pictures, I love the old photos, they always have that lovely kind of softness around the subject making it look like something from a dream or something not quite real (if you know what I mean)

    • TheBoyAndMe says

      I know exactly what you mean; I think many of the photographs back then were taken in studios or by people who had more of an understanding of photography because it's wasn't just point and shoot. They were able to really compose photos well.

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