Reverse Image Search

[#1]

I found a photograph (see below) inside a frame of an old family painting, of a faded image, what looks like, a  group of school boys, a Master and a woman, on the steps of the main entrace of a building.

On the back, in faint pencil, it seems to be dated 1914?

I've asked family and we all have no idea, who, what, where and when it really is.

Iv'e done a reverse Google image search of the whole photograph and an image search on a distinguished part of the building (see below).

However, no matches

Has anyone any suggestions or ideas?

The BuildingThe Group

[#2]

I have done some work on the contrast .... but cannot see any badges or emblems on the blazers.  nor is there any wording on the building.

[#3]

Stab in the dark but given the ages it looks like some sort of private Grammar school.

We have an old and rather nicely framed picture of Mrs Minivanman's family from around the same time. Large family group sort of thing, but it needed a bit of restoration. On taking (very carefully) out the photograph, I also found another photograph of the same size behind the first but the Mrs recognized it as being one of a great Aunt as a young girl.

Really strange and it must have been there for at least a hundred years. With no idea what to do with it we just copied it and put it back where it was found and resealed the frame. Attached a note with it just in case it gets discovered in another hundred years and the generations yet to come might have no idea who it is

Ain't life strange.

[#4]

Looks like Mr, Mrs & Junior in the centre, so could it be an extended family shot ?

Anyone in you family history known to have run a boys home ?

[#5]

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@Champnet wrote:

Looks like Mr, Mrs & Junior in the centre...

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It does, especially the way he's inclined to his right rather than square on. Probably the 'master' of whatever institution it is. Seems too few 'pupils' to be a school.

[#6]

Some of those private schools really were quite small and many were run by a 'Master and Mistress' married couples. Children's homes were the same (I was in an ex Grammar School one) and they never dressed us all the same way as they do in that picture in some sort of starched collars. We just had extremely itchy khaki shirts! 

A flavor of such can be found in George Orwell's autobiographical essay "Such, Such were the Joys" and his time at a prep school in Eastbourne at the turn of the last century

Well worth a read. 

[#7]

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@Minivanman wrote:

Some of those private schools really were quite small and many were run by a 'Master and Mistress' married couples.

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Aye, fair point.

[#8]

Thank you for your work in reimaging and recontrasting and views on what it maybe.

Now. it looks like two different colour jackets to me?

I see an older man (with mustache) top right too.

Several of the boys seem to have a chain in their lapel going to their brest pocket, does anyone know what is on the end of that chain? A watch, a pen, a whistle, etc? Is it some form of authority or status?

I don't think we had any one that ran a or was part of a school, back then.

[#9]

Stab in the dark @Leapy as that photo was quite a bit before my time (and all of ours too!), but didn't people use to have hand held watches in their pockets at the time, attached with a chain, so that they weren't lost? Was that before wrist watches?

I am not a gambling man, but if I were, my money would be on that.

The building is quite interesting, and I wonder if it is listed? The most distinctive feature I can see is the head on the doorway.

Hope you make some progress on finding out about it, and let us know how you get on.

[#10]

A google search for 1914 school photos shows some interesting images.

Comparing photos, the three button jacket and the shirt collars seem to be the style of the day.

The background building looks very much like many of the images, solid walls, the door and frame, windows and frames, head sculpture over door frame etc.

The similar looking google images are of private schools so I reckon @Minivanman is on the right tracks....

[#11]

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@Leapy wrote:

I see an older man (with mustache) top right too.

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That might be Carruthers, the Head Boy, from the Upper Sixth.    

[#12]

Not familiar with this reverse image search thing. 

Presumably if the same image is 'out there' then a google search of sorts will match it up? Given that it was found behind an a frame of an old family painting then it's not going to be found, or is it.

[#13]

I agree @Minivanman , but I guess there was the remote possibility that someone else had a copy and had uploaded it to somewhere like a Genealogy site.

Someone else doing a similar search in the future may even find the copy posted here!