Just like old paintings, photographs from different decades can offer a window into what life was like in the past. When photographer Roger Liptrot came across a collection of glass slides at a local auction, he held some up to the light and was immediately intrigued by the portraits contained inside. He ultimately won the box with a $33 bid, and spent considerable time restoring them to pristine condition.
These black and white pictures offer a glimpse into life in 20th-century England, with snapshots of horse-drawn carriages, family and individual portraits, and shots of the city. Most of the figures in the images appear to be posing for their photograph, with a smattering of candid shots of wide-open streets before cars were commonplace. Roger found the name of the original photographer Ernest Timperley written on the lid of the box and, through some research, discovered that Timperley was listed as a 24-year-old “Calico Printer's Apprentice” near Manchester in a 1911 census.
Roger began his restoration by studying the best way to go about it. “I started by brushing the dust off the emulsion face of the slide, using a small paint brush, and then carefully cleaned the external glass with a solution of water and cider vinegar, using gloved hands throughout the process,” he says. “Once cleaned up, I scanned them using a flatbed Epson scanner, then cleaned up the images produced, removed any marks, and improved the quality of them.”
Scroll down to see more photos from Roger's collection, and check out his website for more information on the series, and to find more of his photo collections.
Photographer Roger Liptrot purchased a box of old photographs at an auction.
Inside were a series of pictures taken in the 2oth century by a man named Ernest Timperley.
Roger restored these black and white pictures to pristine condition.
They depict people and daily life scenes of Manchester during the early 1900s.
Roger Liptrot: Website
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Roger Liptrot.
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