Pictured on the front of this real photographic postcard is a family of six, comprising two young girls, two older boys, their mother and their soldier–father. The older of the two girls was evidently fidgeting when the camera’s shutter clicked. The printed details on the back of the card give the name and locations of the photographic company that produced this family portrait: ‘Thirwell & Co., Photographers, Stockton, Middlesboro, West Hartlepool, Newcastle, Darlington & Bishop Auckland.’. || A real photographic postcard || || Photograph || A photograph of a British soldier and his family || Front || north-east England || 52.3555177,-1.1743197000000691

A few clues give us a little extra insight into this photograph. The single stripe on the soldier–father’s sleeves tells us that he is a corporal. And an embossed stamp across the mother’s feet on this photograph informs us that it was taken in the studio of ‘N GRUT / GUERNSEY’. The ‘N’ stands for ‘Norman’, who was the son of noted photographer Thomas Alfred Grut; by the time of the First World War, the Grut studio was located in St Peter Port, Guernsey. || A real photographic postcard

A photographic postcard. || The soldier in this photograph has placed a supportive hand on his child’s right-hand shoulder. The cap on the chair next to him appears to bear the badge of the Gloucester Regiment. The child’s bespectacled mother wears a cross around her neck, another visible piece of jewellery being her wedding ring. Printed on the reverse of the photographic postcard is the name and address of the photographer whose studio the family of three visited in order to pose for this snapshot in time: ‘W. Franklin, Photographer, 55 Twinnell Rd., Bristol’.