{"id":4034,"date":"2023-12-15T09:30:45","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T09:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=4034"},"modified":"2024-01-02T11:36:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T11:36:52","slug":"a-glass-plate-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/15\/a-glass-plate-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"A Glass Plate Mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our new <a href=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/11\/17\/a-warm-welcome-to-tara\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reprographics Assistant Tara<\/a> has been getting her hands on a collection of glass plates, and has been fascinated by what she has found&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>When I started my job here, I learned of a collection of glass plates that had been donated to DHC and that were part way through being digitised. Having a strong personal interest in glass plates I was keen to take up the mantle of completing the digitisation.<\/p>\n<p>The plates date around the early 1900\u2019s, having found one with the date of 1918 written on it. There is a huge variety of subject matter, from formal group photographs of soldiers to small family groups and individuals, to dog portraits, and landscape photographs of the area, with close ups of local flora.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-4034 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/15\/a-glass-plate-mystery\/d_3101_86a\/'><img width=\"1858\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-scaled.jpg 1858w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-743x1024.jpg 743w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-768x1058.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-1115x1536.jpg 1115w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_86a-1486x2048.jpg 1486w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1858px) 100vw, 1858px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/15\/a-glass-plate-mystery\/d_3101_85a\/'><img width=\"1374\" height=\"1874\" src=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a.jpg 1374w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a-220x300.jpg 220w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a-751x1024.jpg 751w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a-768x1047.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_85a-1126x1536.jpg 1126w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1374px) 100vw, 1374px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/15\/a-glass-plate-mystery\/d_3101_78a\/'><img width=\"2560\" height=\"1885\" src=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-1024x754.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-768x566.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-1536x1131.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_78a-2048x1508.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>There is a mystery surrounding this collection, as they were brought to us by a gentleman who told me that had been rescued form the skip by a young builder who had been working on the roof of the Black Dog Inn, Broadmayne, where they had been stored in the loft space. The photographer is unknown. There is a possible link in one of the portraits to Gertrude Bugler, who was an actress in Thomas Hardy\u2019s plays, as there is a striking similarity. The girl in the glass plate portrait appears quite young and could possibly even have been the grandmother of Gertrude.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4035\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4035\" style=\"width: 1966px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4035\" src=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1966\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-scaled.jpg 1966w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-787x1024.jpg 787w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-768x1000.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-1180x1536.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/D_3101_3a-low-res-1573x2048.jpg 1573w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1966px) 100vw, 1966px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4035\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-catalogue.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/records\/D-3101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D-3101<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some of the plates are in superb conditions, whilst others have suffered some damage through age. The patina of these classic plates is beautiful, the softness of tones, the gentle silvering, and the sheer fragility of the thin glass make them a joy to handle (with gloves!), to hold a piece of history in the hand. Many Victorians believed that having a photograph made of them would steal their soul. They did not understand the technology that allowed a likeness of them to be captured on a glass plate \u2013 they felt the camera must be stealing a part of their souls to do this.<\/p>\n<p>This collection is intriguing, in that we also have another two boxes of photographs and plates from around the same time, also from the Black Dog Inn. The collection I have been digitising numbers 100 with a further set of approximately 60, and approximately 70 black &amp; white photographs. One of the B&amp;W photographs has the name &#8220;<em>F Keynton 1916<\/em>&#8221; inscribed onto it. He appears to have been a Sargeant Major. Does anyone know who he might be?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4039\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4039\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4039\" src=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018-743x1024.jpg 743w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018-768x1059.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2023\/12\/Black-Dog0018-1114x1536.jpg 1114w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4039\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-catalogue.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/records\/D-2231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D-2231<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I wonder how it came to be that so many photographs were taken in and around a small village in the early 20<sup>th<\/sup> Century at a time when photography was not widely accessible, and one would have to have the means and knowledge to make these photographs. The glass plates are most likely to be dry plates, in which a thin piece of glass was coated in a silver gelatin emulsion. These dry plates enable photographers to have ready made plates meaning they did not need to bring the darkroom with them, unlike the era of wet plate, whereby photographers would have to have all their chemicals and a portable darkroom with them and would need to coat a plate and expose it within 15 minutes whilst it was still wet. I wonder if anyone has any knowledge of the origins of these plates, or knows who the photographer may have been? If you can help to shed some light on them, please do get in contact.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p>These glass plates have piqued our interest and one of our volunteers has done some more digging into the story of Frederick Keynton and the Black Dog Inn, and you can read more about them both in a two-part blog:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/18\/the-black-dog-and-a-slew-of-christmas-weddings-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Black Dog and a Slew of Christmas Weddings [Part 1]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/29\/the-black-dog-and-a-slew-of-christmas-weddings-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Black Dog and a Slew of Christmas Weddings [Part 2]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our new Reprographics Assistant Tara has been getting her hands on a collection of glass plates, and has been fascinated by what she has found&#8230; &#8212; When I started my job here, I learned of a collection of glass plates that had been donated to DHC and that were part way through being digitised. Having&hellip; <span class=\"kuorinka-read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2023\/12\/15\/a-glass-plate-mystery\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">A Glass Plate Mystery<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,584,357,109],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4034"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4066,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034\/revisions\/4066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}