Supports for the electric trams’ conductor wires feature in this photograph. Tom Sowler states in his History of the Town and Borough that electrification of the tram system started at Norton Green on the 1st September 1897 and was completed by the21st May 1898. The earliest possible date of this photograph therefore lies between these two dates.
I agree with Fred Starr that “dodging” is a technique that can be used to combine portions of two photographs in a separate image, but do not believe that it was used in this case. The skyline is far from regular and I would expect to see either clear space between the clouds and the roofline or some overlap of the two images. There is a technique was one called “touching up” in which the image is altered by painting and I believe this was used during the process of converting the negative to a printing plate.
A copy of the second of my postcards, “Stockton Market at Night”, is now available on this site with the reference T13739.
Many thanks to Peter Rigg for giving an accurate date to this picture. A nineteenth century version of photoshopping could have been used
It would not be too difficult at all to merge a cloud view ( which might actually be a daytime picture) with a night time picture of the High Street. It would have used a technique called “dodging”, in which, when printing the cloud picture, the lower half of the print is covered. This area is then used to print the High Street Buildings, using a second negative
I learnt how to do my own developing and printing when working as a failure investigator for British Gas. I had to use this sort of trick to produce decent photographs
This is a very weird picture, possibly taken in the 1920s since the high street is still paved with cobles. The large diameter of the moon may suggest than a long focus lens has been used.
I’m undecided whether this photo is too good (weird) to be true?
Would photographers of the day be capable of some manual form of photoshopping processing? (actual cut and paste merging of photos?)
This is a cropped version of a postcard in my collection. It is titled “High Street, Stockton” and belongs to the “D. F. Series” published by Delittle, Fenwick & Co. of York. This organisation was a printer and proprietors of the Yorkshire Chronicle and Delittle’s York Advertiser. A quick check on the internet has revealed similar style postcards from places Falmouth and Blackpool as other closer locations.
As far as Stockton is concerned, I also have two other similar cards. One is called “Stockton Market Place” and shows the south side of the Town House, the Market Cross and the entrance of Finkle Street, possibly taken on the same occasion as the shot above (the Town Hall clock shows the time as 8.25). This card has been used and the postmark is dated October 31, 1905 dating the series a little earlier than Fred’s guess. The second card is titled “The Docks, Stockton” and shows the riverside and lighted buildings behind. I am aware of a further card showing the Parish Church, but have only seen a reproduction of this one on e-bay.
Supports for the electric trams’ conductor wires feature in this photograph. Tom Sowler states in his History of the Town and Borough that electrification of the tram system started at Norton Green on the 1st September 1897 and was completed by the21st May 1898. The earliest possible date of this photograph therefore lies between these two dates.
I agree with Fred Starr that “dodging” is a technique that can be used to combine portions of two photographs in a separate image, but do not believe that it was used in this case. The skyline is far from regular and I would expect to see either clear space between the clouds and the roofline or some overlap of the two images. There is a technique was one called “touching up” in which the image is altered by painting and I believe this was used during the process of converting the negative to a printing plate.
A copy of the second of my postcards, “Stockton Market at Night”, is now available on this site with the reference T13739.
Many thanks to Peter Rigg for giving an accurate date to this picture. A nineteenth century version of photoshopping could have been used
It would not be too difficult at all to merge a cloud view ( which might actually be a daytime picture) with a night time picture of the High Street. It would have used a technique called “dodging”, in which, when printing the cloud picture, the lower half of the print is covered. This area is then used to print the High Street Buildings, using a second negative
I learnt how to do my own developing and printing when working as a failure investigator for British Gas. I had to use this sort of trick to produce decent photographs
This is a very weird picture, possibly taken in the 1920s since the high street is still paved with cobles. The large diameter of the moon may suggest than a long focus lens has been used.
I’m undecided whether this photo is too good (weird) to be true?
Would photographers of the day be capable of some manual form of photoshopping processing? (actual cut and paste merging of photos?)
This is a cropped version of a postcard in my collection. It is titled “High Street, Stockton” and belongs to the “D. F. Series” published by Delittle, Fenwick & Co. of York. This organisation was a printer and proprietors of the Yorkshire Chronicle and Delittle’s York Advertiser. A quick check on the internet has revealed similar style postcards from places Falmouth and Blackpool as other closer locations.
As far as Stockton is concerned, I also have two other similar cards. One is called “Stockton Market Place” and shows the south side of the Town House, the Market Cross and the entrance of Finkle Street, possibly taken on the same occasion as the shot above (the Town Hall clock shows the time as 8.25). This card has been used and the postmark is dated October 31, 1905 dating the series a little earlier than Fred’s guess. The second card is titled “The Docks, Stockton” and shows the riverside and lighted buildings behind. I am aware of a further card showing the Parish Church, but have only seen a reproduction of this one on e-bay.