File:Fred C Palmer Mason Terrace Herne Bay 1914.jpg

Postcard photo of Mason Terrace, Herne Bay, Kent, England. Postmarked May 1914. The message on the back is from E.E. Greenland to Mrs Keates of St Annes Road, Millenhall, nr Wolverhampton, Staffs. Mrs Keates was apparently on jury duty at the time. Greenland has placed the stamp at an angle of 45 degrees, indicating a kiss according to contemporary UK practice.

The photographer was Fred C. Palmer of Tower Studio, Herne Bay, Kent, who died in 1941.

Points of interest:

• This was a domestic terrace. Note the window frames all painted with dark paint. From 1965 when brilliant white paint became cheaply available, this changed.
• The wrought-iron front fences were removed during World War Two for munitions manufacture.
• The car registration is D 4113. It may be possible to identify the car's date and place of registration from UK registration records.
• On the far right of the image, a lady is sitting on the windowsill to clean her sash window. At that time, newspaper and vinegar were used for this, or sometimes a chamois cloth, known as a "shammy".

Border

The remaining border of this image is important for researchers of this photographer. Some photographers trimmed their images more than others, and Palmer has a reputation for producing smaller postcards than other early 20th century UK photographers. He took his own photos, developed them in-house onto postcard-backed photographic paper and trimmed them himself. It is worth adding that during hand-developing the border is actively masked with equipment which both crops the picture and causes the white frame or border to appear on the paper. This frame is part of the design and is one of the reasons why the quality of Palmer's work is so interesting, and why there is an article and category for him on English Wiki. Researchers need to see exactly where the edge of the postcard is. Thank you for taking the time to read this.