Apologies right away for the rather vague post today. This photo was amongst the collection of Blantyre Photographer David Ritchie and shows two ladies in the woodland.
There is a very good chance, these women were Blantyre ladies given the collection of photos, but unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll ever know who they were. There’s no names or hints in the picture as far as I can see, nor will we ever find the location.
The photo is good however to see what the fashions of middle aged women were like in the Edwardian first decade of the 20th Century. The corseted waists, the ditching of Victorian black blouses in favour of white, brighter fashions and hats. Arms, chests and necks absolutely covered up. The lady on the left carrying a rolled up paper, perhaps a newspaper. The lady on the right carries a pair of gloves. The expressions and stance, I think whilst show a willingness to take part in the photo, give a slight hint of frustration of having to stand very still for the photo. It was certainly worth showing you all and hopefully one day, we’ll know more.
Very dapper pair of women, I wonder if they worked somewhere that required them to look fit and healthy, and I cannot imagine they would ordinarily walk in such long grass, the environment was chosen for a reason goodness knows what