Published: 08/01/2009 00:00
THANKS to our keen-eyed readers, we were able to solve a mystery presented to us in the form of a set of postcards a few weeks ago. And now, we're hoping for a repeat performance, but we think this one might be a little bit trickier.
Ken Rock's set of six print factory photographs proved to have been taken at the Manifoldia works in West Bromwich, as Ken had suspected. But the two he has put our way this week show a much smaller and no doubt less well-known place of work. We know they originate from the West Bromwich area as the details on the back of both cards read:
'From the Studio of Edmund Machin, 270a, High St., West Bromwich.'
We're pretty sure it dates from the early decades of the twentieth century, but beyond that we're stumped. It must have been a commercial launderer judging by the amount of white sheets, dresses and blouses hanging up and stacked in neat piles, and we're guessing that the large cast iron contraption in the foreground is some sort of industrial-sized mangle. But what on earth is the significance of the wording on it - 'Hoo-Kan-Tel?' It's clearly a play on words, but it seems an unlikely name for a launderer, and our researches have failed to find any reference to this name. Stranger still, the words appear to have been written in by the photographer, scratched into the negative. Whether they were on the machine originally and have been exaggerated in the darkroom, or merely drawn on for some other reason, we have no idea. We're hoping someone out there does!
It looks a rather small, grimy room up in the roof space of a building, which no doubt suffered from mould in the colder months of the year as steaming garments clouded the air. There were at least thirteen women working in this little space too, which must have made it pretty hot and stuffy during the summer. Thankfully it seems to have been fairly well lit and ventilated, with windows on both sides.
If you recognise any of the girls, or think you can tell us anything about these atmospheric photos, please get in touch with us.
'From the Studio of Edmund Machin, 270a, High St., West Bromwich.'
We're pretty sure it dates from the early decades of the twentieth century, but beyond that we're stumped. It must have been a commercial launderer judging by the amount of white sheets, dresses and blouses hanging up and stacked in neat piles, and we're guessing that the large cast iron contraption in the foreground is some sort of industrial-sized mangle. But what on earth is the significance of the wording on it - 'Hoo-Kan-Tel?' It's clearly a play on words, but it seems an unlikely name for a launderer, and our researches have failed to find any reference to this name. Stranger still, the words appear to have been written in by the photographer, scratched into the negative. Whether they were on the machine originally and have been exaggerated in the darkroom, or merely drawn on for some other reason, we have no idea. We're hoping someone out there does!
It looks a rather small, grimy room up in the roof space of a building, which no doubt suffered from mould in the colder months of the year as steaming garments clouded the air. There were at least thirteen women working in this little space too, which must have made it pretty hot and stuffy during the summer. Thankfully it seems to have been fairly well lit and ventilated, with windows on both sides.
If you recognise any of the girls, or think you can tell us anything about these atmospheric photos, please get in touch with us.
