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About this extract
The photograph used is Hiram and Lily Broadhurst with their sons, George and Arthur, 1911. The photographer is unknown.
Photo courtesy of: Documentary Photography Archive, GMCRO, Manchester. Ref: 760/31
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Book Accessory
Father’s hand is resting on a book - a common accessory in studio portraiture. Its presence was intended to suggest that sitters were educated at a time when many people received little or no education.
Backdrops 
Painted backdrops appeared frequently in studio portraits accompanied by their regular accessories. Two themes were particularly common: the outdoor setting with trees and balustrade which evoked the gracious parkland surrounding a large house, and the interior setting painted with wainscoting and flowing drapery and furnished with chair, table and potted plant. Both scenarios provided anonymity by divorcing sitters from the realities of their lives. They also hinted at an ideal, comfortable and prosperous lifestyle.
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Content last updated: 14/01/2005
