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I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

4 comments:

Stacy said...

This is a really interesting photo who knows more about it, do tell.

CyberKitten said...

Apparently its from 1885 and it part of the London docks. I just really liked it - especially the composition. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing - plus I'm a fan of most things Victorian.

It looks like the smaller boat on the left is a paddle-steamer tug boat probably pushing the larger sailing ship into the channel so it can leave. From the state of the top sail it looks like it was caught in the process of unfurling...

VV said...

My wondering was, did that mother take her son to the docks just to watch the ships, or is daddy on one of them?

CyberKitten said...

Possibly... Or they might be simply 'props' to add a human angle to the photograph. It must have been very difficult to include people - especially children - in photos back then with the long(ish) exposure times.