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These unidentified brother and sister wear berets, but the dealer identifies them as English. We initially thought that the photograph was probably taken in the 1930s, but an English reader suggests the 1950s and we think he is probably correct.
You might think that for younger children the buttoning would be the same, but if you look closely you can see that there are differences with the buttoning. Th girl's coat buttons on the left, left to right. The boy's coat buttons on the right, right to left. They look to be the same color, but we are not sdure what the color is. ft. The stone structure is not their home but seems to be an historical structure they are visiting after a country walk. The boy is holding a walking stick which suggests the trek. The girl is holding her skipping rope which she used to skip along with her family. I think either of the parents took the picture. Where they had gone is hard to say but it could be a ruined castle. The building does not fit in with the grandeur architecture of a ruined abbey or church. These juvenile overcoats were mostly worn by children from affluent families. The dweling they are standing in front of, however, looks rather derelict. An English reader writes, "The discovery possible Scoop! I think I have found where the the photograph was taken. I think the children had gone on an outing to Woburn Abbey. They were photographed outside the possible ice storage cave. Do you think this is the location? Here is a still from the children's Film Foundation picture 'The Treasure of Woburn Abbey ALK Five Clues to a Fortune'. It shows a similar structure. The stone structure is not their home but seems to be an historical structure they are visiting after a country walk. The boy is holding a walking stick which suggests the trek. The girl is holding her skipping rope which she used to skip along with her family. I think either of the parents took the picture. Where they had gone is hard to say but it could be a ruined castle. The building does not fit in with the grandeur architecture of a ruined abbey or church."
These unidentified brother and sister wear berets, but the dealer identifies them as English. We initially thought that the photograph was probably taken in the 1930s, but an English reader suggests the 1950s and we think he is probably correct.
You might think that for younger children the buttoning would be the same, but if you look closely you can see that there are differences with the buttoning. Th girl's coat buttons on the left, legt to nright. The boy's coat buttons on the right, right to left. They look to be the same color, but we are nmot sure what the color is. ft.
The stone structure is not their home but seems to be an historical structure they are visiting after a country walk. The boy is holding a walking stick which suggests the trek. The girl is holding her skipping rope which she used to skip along with her family. I think either of the parents took the picture. Where they had gone is hard to say but it could be a ruined castle. The building does not fit in with the grandeur architecture of a ruined abbey or church. These juvenile overcoats were mostly worn by children from affluent families. The dweling they are standing in front of, however, looks rather derelict.
An English reader writes, "The discovery possible Scoop! I think I have found where the the photograph was taken. I think the children had gone on an outing to Woburn Abbey. They were photographed outside the possible ice storage cave--an ice hoiuse in American parlance. (In the 19th century the onlky way to have ice during the summer was to harvest it from frozemn lakes during the winter and create an ice cave/house so it could be used during the summer.) Do you think this is the location? Here is a still from the children's Film Foundation picture 'The Treasure of Woburn Abbey ALK Five Clues to a Fortune'. It shows a similar structure. The stone structure is not their home but seems to be an historical structure they are visiting after a country walk. The boy is holding a walking stick which suggests the trek. The girl is holding her skipping rope which she used to skip along with her family. I think either of the parents took the picture. Where they had gone is hard to say but it could be a ruined castle. The building does not fit in with the grandeur architecture of a ruined abbey or church."
Woburn Abbey like most English country homes has a fascinating history. It was the family seat of the fabously wealthy Duke of Bedford. It was originally founded as a Cistercian abbey (1145). When King Henry VIII dissolved the monastaries, he transferred Woburn to a favorite--John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (1547). It became the seat of the Russell family and the Dukes of Bedford, who demolished the original Abbey and build a country home on the original Abbey site. The first home was largely rebuilt on a more magnifcent scale by the architects Henry Flitcroft and Henry Holland for the 4th Duke (beginning 1744). After the Revolutionary War, future presidents John Adans and Thomas Jefferson visited several English country homes including Woburn (1786). They were impressed with the buildings, but not the landscapping. Adams was especially critical of the means used to finance the large estate. We are not sure what he was referring to, but may have included the slave trade. Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, originated the afternoon tea ritual (19th-century). The secretive Political Warfare Executive (PWE) took over the Abbey for use during Workd War II. They also had London offices at the BBC's Bush House.
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