I first learnt about ‘Walking Pictures’ a few months ago (see older blog).  Thus when I was looking through the museum’s image archive of people, I recognised another walking pictures image.  

This time the reverse has some detail on it: “Tom Rattue outside W H Smith taken 1920 or 1930”.  Note that W H Smiths was on the corner of High Street and New Canal then, where Waterstones. now is.  The reverse also gives “COLEMAN’S Photograph’s Service, Boscombe Beach, 10 Royal Arcade, Boscombe”. Great information for the image detective to get stuck into.  

However I noticed the “Wear a Flanders Poppy” poster, and did a search for this with great success!  It was issued in 1925 and is out of copyright.  I thus downloaded the image and added it to image collection with the suffix ‘c’. The front of the image has suffix ‘a’ and the reverse ‘b’.  

If anyone wants to research Tom Rattue or Coleman’s, I will add their finds to the image archive.  Also, if anyone can make out the Children’s book on display outside W H Smiths or any other details, I shall be very interested.


Tom Rattue outside W H Smith taken 1920 or 1930

There’s a challenge from Alan!