1917

by Gary Hickin

A reworked image-I took this a couple of years ago- it took on a new meaning when I discovered a war grave of a lone WW1 soldier at the rear of the graveyard of our village church- the grave is some fifty to sixty yards from our boundary. The selection of items in this still life are co-incindentally quite interesting. The date on the coin, 1917, is the date that the soldier was killed. Bovril was, according to my recent research, known amongst other things as’war food’! At the onset of trench warfare and the horrific injuries suffered by the troops medical supplies often ran out and herbal remedies were used, Lavender being one of the principle ingredients. The Godfrey Phillips tobacco tin is significant in that this firm issued cigarette cards depicting army company badges, some published in 1917. I believe The Royal Engineers may have been one of them- the soldier belonged to that company. The purse is very old and has ‘A present from Cleethorpes’ embossed in the leather- this was a popular place to visit for local people. One final coincidence, whilst researching the history of our cottage, which dates back to around 1860 we were given a very old photograph which I digitally restored. The lady that gave us the photo was very pleased and researched it a little more, coming up with various names of the people standing outside the cottages- the family surname , possibly the parents (?) was the one on the soldiers grave.
So, as you can see, my seemingly random selection of nostalgic objects proved more meaningful than I thought possible.
Uploaded22/12/2010 - 01:06
CategoryStill Life
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pauljay
Posted 22/12/2010 - 07:47 Link
That's a lovely photo Gary, to support a lovely story.
Paul.

Photography is not a sport. It has no rules. Everything must be dared and tried! (Bill Brandt)
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Fletcher8
Posted 22/12/2010 - 08:36 Link
Great image Gary, good use of light and lovely tones. Interesting info about the image too!
Fletcher8.
GIULIO57
Posted 22/12/2010 - 09:53 Link
I like it
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AxelLuther
Posted 22/12/2010 - 10:34 Link
wow - what a lihght setting and atmosphere - brilliant sharpness, usage of shadows and arrangement. A picture like a painting - I assume itrequired a lotof work but this was well invested
_____________________________________________

Colors are the lack of darkness

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bwlchmawr
Posted 22/12/2010 - 11:55 Link
And I thought you just chucked a load of old stuff on the bench and took a snap...

Another lovely image, Gary. There has to be a commercial opening for your work, I'd have thought.
Best wishes,

Andrew

"These places mean something and it's the job of a photographer to figure-out what the hell it is."
Robert Adams
"The camera doesn't make a bit of difference.  All of them can record what you are seeing.  But, you have to SEE."
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sandinista
Posted 22/12/2010 - 13:00 Link
A really interesting, some might say eerie, and quite touching story to set the background for this wonderful and evocative still life.

A master at his craft.
Great simplicity is only won by an intense moment or by years of intelligent effort. T.S Eliot

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SteveEveritt
Posted 22/12/2010 - 18:04 Link
Art at its finest
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"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (John Lennon)
szgabor
Posted 22/12/2010 - 22:15 Link
Gary, you are an expert of the lighting. I like its mood. I especially like the ladybird that brings life into the composition.
Regards,
Gábor
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Bobbinalorry
Posted 23/12/2010 - 10:14 Link
Fascinating!
Best Regards, Larry.

All the gear & no idea.

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