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 photograph of a British soldier's family of four. || The printed information on the back of this postcard tells us that the photographic studio that produced the portrait of the family pictured on the front was ‘Alan Mills, Paris St., Exeter in Devon’. There are no further clues to help us to identify the two girls and their parents, nor does the soldier–father’s uniform bear any distinguishing badges. One detail is noticeable, however: both of the girls appear to be wearing heart-shaped pendants.

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