I can't tell you how excited I am about this! Recently my mum remembered out of the blue that there was an old cine film of my family from ye olde days... she got in touch with her Auntie Joan, who sure enough had the film, already transferred onto DVD. Turns out there is footage from 1933 and 1949! Why wasn't I informed earlier?!??
I've edited it down into little nuggets that I thought you'd be interested to see. The fashion is, of course, amazing, plus it's really moving to see my ancestors on moving image. The film was recorded by cousins of my Nana, who died ten years ago.
This is the family garden in Cardiff. The baby is Auntie Joan. The little girls taking it in turns to sit on the bench are Nana's cousins Rita, Thelma, Sheila, and then the tall girl is Nana - Eileen. Don't you love her dress? She would have been about 14 in the film - she looks so elegant for a 14 year old!
This is a Cardiff street scene - look out for the policemen and the man in the top hat - followed by some kind of military parade with what looks like the lord mayor in attendance. Ten points if you can work out what event it might be!
Possibly my favourite of the bunch, this is Porthcawl beach (on the South coast of Wales). Look out for my great-great-Auntie Esther knitting on the beach! By the end of the clip the film is really faded. As much as I'm saddened by film deteriorating, I find the aesthetics of decay hauntingly beautiful too.
More clips to come in future posts if you're interested...
Lovely, especially the last. I went to Porthcawl earlier this year so it strikes a note. My boyfriend certainly didn't wear a suit! (although if I'd had my crochet with me...)
ReplyDeleteSuch tender scenes. How wonderful! I'd love to see more! :)
ReplyDeleteTilly these are amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure! Thanks so much for sharing...I hope we get to see more.
ReplyDeleteso cool! love it!
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic! would love to see some more, we have some from the early 70's i wish we had earlier ones!
ReplyDeleteJust wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to do this.I would love to see more.
ReplyDeleteI love these. What a treat to have such an amazing link to your past. Your Nana and I share the same name :)
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! These are absolute treasures. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beautiful! Not only to see how things were back then, but the happiness that came from them. I think I smiled the whole time watching them. Thank you for sharing with us all :)
ReplyDeleteThose are priceless clips Tilly. Porthcawl hasn't changed that much, its still recognisable - but a few more houses on the front. I have photos of my grandmother with a beautiful parasol on the beach like in the last clip. Also lots of my grandfather on the beach in a suit! Can you imagine? What a wonderful record.
ReplyDeleteOh, how wonderful, thanks for sharing it! I live near Cardiff, I've not yet made it to Porthcawl beach, I may just have to check it out now to see the differences.
ReplyDeleteOh Tilly, watching these films made me want to cry for some reason, especially the first one where the little girls are taking it in turns to dance for the camera. Beautiful. x
ReplyDeletehandmadejane.blogspot.com
oh wow! What a treasure! I especially loved the first video. It really makes a "traditional portrait" come alive! I wish I could see the videos behind some of my older family portraits! They look like such a fun family too! How lovely!
ReplyDeletewow.¡¡¡It is a treasure. Wonderful! . Congratulations Thank your for sharing
ReplyDeleteThese videos are so surreal. I love the little girls dancing in the first one...everyone seems to be having a great time!
ReplyDeleteThose videos are adorable! I love the true authenticity - being so winded-up on vintage, authentic videos like that is still something rare... And the male swimming suits... I wonder if we would see the same charm today if the guys wore the same style?
ReplyDeleteOh wow--how neat that you have family films! I always love watching personal films like these from earlier times--they really are fantastic to see how people viewed themselves and the world around them (since Hollywood films, as much as I adore them, never quite do the "everyday" scenes justice ;). Thank you so much for sharing these--please do post more! :)
ReplyDelete♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
How lucky you are to have such a family treasure. I love the styles of the 30's. So elegant! Thanks for sharing these great movies.
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me a while to watch this (I'm lazy with videos) but they are really lovely, and you are so lucky to have this!
ReplyDeleteI way really struck by all the hats in the cardiff scene. Of course I know that everyone used to wear a hat all the time, but still it was strange to contrast that with the present day, when almost nobody wear a hat. Why have we gotten rid of this most excellent accessory?
Looking forward to the rest!