Celebrations

Amateur and professional photographers alike would relish in the opportunity to photograph a celebration. It was an opportunity to capture people's lives away from their daily routine, joining in festivities organised for personal, local and national events. Below are some of the main celebrations depicted in the DPA's collection.

1st of May: To go 'A-Maying'

People have celebrated May Day for centuries and continue to with localised events taking place up and down the country. On 1st May communities come together to celebrate with dancing, fancy dress and the crowning of the May Queen and King.

The May Queen, chosen from the girls in the village along with her King would reign over the events of the day including the popular Maypole dance.

All the children would play their part by wearing fancy dress. They would travel door to door, singing and giving out flowers in return for pennies.

Please to smell my garland 'cause it is the first of May
A branch of May I have brought to you, and at your door I stand;
It is but a sprout, but it's well budded out,
The work of our Lady's hand

Whitsuntide

The Christian celebration culminates in traditional Whit Walks, carried out since the Sunday school movement of the Eighteenth Century. Catholics and Protestants would hold a procession on different days during the week's festivities.

The procession would travel through the streets to the sound of a brass band. This was a major event in the social calendar of the working classes, which prompted people to make new outfits, worn as best. Those not taking part in the parade were on the streets watching. Photographs of the day's events could be purchased from the local studios making it more important than ever to look good as reputation was at stake. One person recalled how she was once locked in the back yard to avoid the shame of being seen in public without the appropriate dress.

Similarly to the May Day celebrations a Queen would be selected to lead the Whit Walks. To be named the Rose Queen, or one of her Rose Buds was seen as an honour and again, commemorative portraits were often taken to mark the occasion.

Local celebrations

Many towns and villages hold pageants, carnivals and street parties in honour of their areas and communities throughout different times in the year. Some people would wear fancy dress and walk in processions.

Coronations and Jubilees

These events of national significance have been celebrated country wide, bringing people together.

Workplaces, such as factories, would be decorated with patriotic emblems and garlands bringing with them a more relaxed atmosphere for the workers.

People would fill the streets with streamers and hold parties.

And people wore patriotic costumes.

Empire Day

From the beginning of the 20th Century this was an important event in Imperial England and throughout the Commonwealth, celebrated on 24th May in honour of Queen Victoria's Birthday. Patriotic gatherings, school ceremonies and church services became an attraction of the day. As time has moved on so has this celebration's popularity has waned. In 1966 its name was changed to Commonwealth Day and its date moved to 11th June, the official birthday of Elizabeth II.

Peace

The end of the war was definitely a time to rejoice. Victory day was celebrated with various festivities such as street parties and decorations for all to see.

Family Events

Families would come together, as they do today, to celebrate the more personal events in their lives. Studio portraits were taken to mark important days for children that were to be remembered such as breeching, where a boy wore his first long trousers, and christenings.

Families would also gather in the home to have parties, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.

Sometimes the photographs would be taken in the street as the guests numbered so many!

Marriage

This event is almost always marked with a photograph. After a wedding took place the bride and groom would go straight to the studio, often with other members of the family in tow. Today people have extensive albums resulting from weddings but photographs used to be limited to only a few.

Sometimes photographs would be taken outside the family home as the photographer was invited to the reception.


Empire Day, Macclesfield 1909. Councillor T.H. Hambleton, Mayor.	Kenneth, Gordon and Graham Crawford. The boys ages aprox. 4 - 7 years and dressed for a fancy dress party in 1930.	Children of Pennington dressed up for the May Queen celebrations one Saturday in May 1918. Donor, Mabel Lyon (nee Briscoe), was the May Queen - seen 2nd row from the front, 6th from the left. Note particular characters eg bride and groom, farmer, sailor, "nigger", Pierrot and Columbine, Dick Whittington, and the bakersman.

James Fawcett, dressed for a Trafford Park pageant, c. 1925. Possibly taken on Eleventh Street.	Florrie Turner always told the donor that this was a family gathering (probably in world war II) to celebrate the Golden Wedding of the elderly couple in the centre. No further details are known.	Street party held before demolition of Harry Street, Ordsall. Clipping from Salford City Reporter.

Gumer Street, Ordsall, decorated for King George V's jubilee.	Leon and Charlotte Rothman, 3rd and 4th right respectively, third row on their wedding in 1902. Photo taken in back yard in North Manchester.	Salford Cottage Homes, Culcheth. The May Queen.

"Tiny Tots Wedding" - a part of a Rose Queen Celebration in Trafford Park. The date is uncertain but pre-1920.	Taylor Street, Cheetham Hill. V.E. Day.	Charles Meredith who was born in 1884 in Ordsall. Portrait probably in his first trousers (Breeching).

Herbert Edward Blackaby, his wife Emily, nee Thatcher and their son Henry Herbert Thatcher Blackaby (the donor) in the workhouse masters drawing room at Ware Workhouse, Henry Herbert was born 8 November 1904 and this photo was taken when he was 6 months old in 1905.	Wedding photograph of William Blackaby in c1900. William was the manager of a gents outfitters.	Annie Irene White as Britannia in 1902. The occasion was probably the coronation of Edward VII.

Maypole Fete at Levenshulme Congregational church in May 1921. The King and Queen with their court. The donor's husband, John, is King and Olga Wyatt is Queen. Ex-queen Nellie Brown is on the left and Ex-king Frank Heywood is on the right.	Mildred Dalley, the Rose Queen of Holy Rood Church and Day School, 1924, chosen as the queen for the Swinton Civic Procession.	Manchester's victory car, 1945.

Florence Nutter with her cousin Mary Nutter just before a Whit Walk.	Blackshaw family party.	A party at Rishton. The man at the top centre is Jacob Speight the donor, aged about 19. On the top far left is his wife.

Dressed as costers for Bolton Carnival. Depositor's father, Harry Ingham is on left, and his friend, Herbert Wilkinson is middle.	Donald Forster and Muriel at their marriage at Cheetham Assembly Room 1943.	School celebrations on Empire Day, Devon in 1926. Edith Treby (later Fox) is in the front row, 3rd from the left, aged 5.

The bottling-shop at Magee and Marshall's Crown Brewery, Bolton. Donor's wife is 8th from right, back row. George VI's Coronation celebrations 1937.	Audenshawe Carnival 1924. Donor's father Reginald, owner of the car is the driver, brother Eric is seen at the back of car in dark suit and conical hat. Other members of the party include donor's grandfather Samuel Ainsworth	Whitwalk 1914. United Methodists. Taken up a side street off Smyrna Street, Radcliffe. On the left is a corner of the Sunday School.