Problems in Dating an Old Group Photograph of Members of the Brighton Swimming Club [ ABOVE ] A group photograph of nineteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club, believed to have been taken by the photographer Benjamin Botham in 1863. During the 1860s, most professional photographers used albumenized paper for photographic printing. Albumenized paper employed albumen from egg whites to bind photographic chemicals to the printing paper. Unfortunately, fresh egg whites contain glucose and the resulting "protein -sugar" reaction in the albumen causes the photographic print to turn yellow over time. Research has shown that albumen prints from the 1860s and 1870s show more yellowing than those printed later in the century. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Brighton Swimming Club and the East Sussex Record Office An Old Group Photograph of Members of the Brighton Swimming Club In September 2011, the Brighton Swimming Club, which was founded in May 1860, displayed some of its archives to the public, including committee minute books, posters, films and photographs. Amongst the photographs was an intriguing outdoor group of 19 members of the Brighton Swimming Club wearing bathing drawers and incongruous top hats. There is circumstantial documentary evidence in the form of an entry in the Committee Minute Books of the Brighton Swimming Club which suggests the photograph was taken in 1863. At the Committee Meeting of the Brighton Swimming Club held on 2nd June 1863 it was noted that the photographer Benjamin Botham would be admitted to the swimming club "on condition of his taking "a photographic sketch of the members of the Club". Some of those who have viewed the photograph have assumed on the basis of the skimpy bathing costumes worn by the top-hat wearing swimmers, that the photograph was taken early in the twentieth century. It is true that most of the Victorian images we have of male swimmers show them them wearing the "neck to knee" bathing costumes, the use of which were encouraged by local authorities who wished to uphold the idea of propriety and decency on public beaches. However, there is plenty of evidence to show that men who took swimming seriously preferred to swim in the sea naked. During the 1860s, because of the offence caused by the sight of naked male swimmers, local authorities introduced by-laws and regulations that insisted that men who wanted to swim from the main beach of the seaside resort during the hours between 8 o'clock in the morning and 9 o'clock in the evening had to wear a bathing costume which preserved public decency. It is likely that members of The Brighton Swimming Club would have preferred to swim naked, but in the 1860s rules were brought in to ensure that at public swimming competitions, male swimmers at least wore short bathing drawers (called "calecons" in France). [See section on Men's Swimming Costume above] [ ABOVE ] Detail from the group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club, showing the range of top hats sported by the brazen swimmers. Because details of costume are key to establishing dates of old photographs, the style of top hat worn by these near naked figures is a particularly significant factor. (The straight-sided top hat worn by the young swimmer on the far left of the picture above is associated with the late 1850s. Other top hats featured in the photograph date from the 1860s). The distinctive swimwear - brief bathing drawers tied with a draw-string or ribbon - also provides a clue to the possible date of the photograph. Other features to consider include hairstyles, beards, moustaches and other styles of facial hair and details such as the pince-nez spectacles worn by one of the swimmers. [ PHOTO: Courtesy of the Brighton Swimming Club and the East Sussex Record Office] When dating old photographs from the Victorian or Edwardian period, a range of features have to be considered - a) The Type of Photograph - the format, the photographic process used, technical aspects of the photograph etc. b) Details of Costume - changing styles in fashion, c) Knowledge of the Photographer - the years that a photographer was active in a particular location, studio address, the interests of the photographer, negative numbers etc. d) Known details of the subject or sitters - the apparent age of the sitter in relation to known dates of birth, marriage, death etc, written inscriptions on the back of the photograph, e ) Circumstantial and documentary evidence relating to the photograph - references to sittings in letters, diaries, a photographer's business records etc. and f) Stylistic, Cultural and Historical Aspects of the Photographic Image . There are other features to consider when dating a photograph (e.g. style and colour of the card mounts, design of the trade plate, studio props and settings, studio furniture and painted backdrops) but these aspects are not really relevant when considering the old group photograph of the members of the Brighton Swimming Club which was an informal photograph taken away from the studio on Brighton's beach. [ ABOVE ] A second detail from the group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club, showing the men's faces and range of top hats worn.. If any of the swimmers can be identified by name, the apparent age of the subject in relation to biographical details could suggest a possible date. [PHOTO: Courtesy of the Brighton Swimming Club and the East Sussex Record Office] a) The Type of Photograph and its Technical Quality The group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club is an albumen print on paper. An albumen print was the most common type of photograph produced in the 1860s. These photographic prints were made on paper coated with egg-white, one of the purest forms of albumen. The white of an egg provided an excellent coating for photographic paper, giving a glossy, smooth surface, but unfortunately albumen prints tend to fade and turn yellowish as they age. The naturally occurring glucose in egg-white reacts to the amino acids in the egg protein causing the highlights of the photographic image to turn yellow. In the 1880s and 1890s, professional photographers took steps to reduce the yellowing effect of the "protein-sugar" reaction, by methods such as "gold-toning" and the use of "fermented" albumen. (The process of fermentation reduces the amount of glucose in the egg-white). Scientific investigations have shown that the yellowing of albumen prints dating from the 1860s and early 1870s was found to be more severe than those encountered in photographic prints produced in the 1880s and 1890s and one report concluded that "the additional yellowing is more than the extra age of the prints would allow for". The yellowish appearance of the Brighton Swimming Group photograph suggests that the original photograph was taken during the 1860s or the early 1870s, when the benefits of fermented albumen had not been discovered and "gold-toning" was not widely used. Photographers who took group photographs from the 1880s onward would have been using cameras equipped with the faster, photographic "dry plates" which could capture clear images within a fraction of a second, creating "instantaneous photographs". With the introduction of technically advanced cameras with mechanical shutters and sensitive "dry plates", photographs of large groups became more common in the 1880s. The picture quality of the group photograph of nineteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club indicates that the photographer was using an early camera with technical deficiencies. Only the front row of bathers are in focus. The limited depth of field and lack of sharpness suggests the photographer was using an early type of sliding-box camera, which required longer exposure times. The photographer would have had to make do with a very shallow plane of focus and expose the "wet plate" by the crude method of uncapping the lens for a number of seconds. The "wet plate" photographic process required the photographer to coat the glass photographic plate evenly with the sticky collodion solution immediately before use and all the stages of the process - sensitizing, exposing and developing - had to be done while the plate was still wet. "Wet plate" photography was difficult enough in the studio and darkroom, but outdoor photography was particularly troublesome. In the collodion "wet plate" era of the 1860s, the photographer of the Brighton Swimming Club group would have had to transport his equipment and apparatus from his studio in the centre of town, all the way down to the beach where the photograph was to be taken. For outdoor location work, a photographer would have to carry with him a large amount of heavy equipment, including glass plates, a tripod, bottles of chemicals and some sort of portable darkroom, as well as the bulky camera itself. b) Details of Costume One of the most reliable methods of dating Victorian and Edwardian photographs is to study the fashion details in the costume worn by the sitters (e.g. the bustle on a dress, the size of a puffed-sleeve, the style and shape of a neck-tie, the seam on a pair of trousers). The group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club presents a problem with dating on the basis of styles of costume and fashion details because all nineteen men are naked, apart from their skimpy bathing-drawers and the top hats that they wear on their heads. The men sport top hats in a variety of styles, but two or three are wearing the tall, straight-sided top hats, colloquially known as "stove pipes". Stove-pipe top hats were common in the late 1850s and early 1860s, but were completely out of fashion by the mid-1860s, being replaced by the medium-high top hats with a curly brim. The brief bathing-drawers worn by members of the Brighton Swimming Club in this photograph had only been introduced as required swimming gear by clubs and local authorities during the early 1860s. Before 1860, most men swam naked, but if swimmers were to take part in swimming competitions in front of the public, they were required to wear bathing-drawers to avoid "public indecency". An article entitled "Public Swimming at Brighton", which appeared in "The Spectator" on 6th August 1864, gave an account of the "Fifth Annual Swimming Matches of the Brighton Swimming Club", which started from the Bathing Station, to the west of Brighton's famous Chain Pier, and which took place in front of thousands of spectators. The reporter purchased for one penny a race card on which was printed "the few and simple rules, such as all competitors were to wear bathing drawers". The short bathing-drawers, known as "calecons" in France, had been introduced from the continent, where mixed bathing was more accepted. The brief bathing-drawers were held up by a tied cord or draw-string and in the sea had a tendency to loosen and fall down. During the 1870s, a one-piece bathing costume was introduced to prevent embarrassing accidents and preserve the modesty of the swimmer. Because the swimmers are wearing short bathing drawers, not dissimilar to the brief bathing trunks worn in the 20th century, a number of the people who have seen the photograph have presumed that the photograph was taken many years after the foundation of the Brighton Swimming Club in 1860, some suggesting a date of 1910, which would have marked the 50th anniversary of the swimming club. However, documentary and pictorial evidence indicates that it was customary in the 1860s for male swimmers to wear short bathing drawers when swimming in public. [ LEFT ] Detail from a Brighton Swimming Club poster of 1862 which informs the reader that the Club's swimming drawers were manufactured locally and could be supplied at 3 shillings per pair. c) Knowledge of the Photographer The group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club has been attributed to the photographer Benjamin William Botham (1824-1877), who was active as a professional photographer in Brighton between 1861 and 1868. By 1862, Benjamin Botham was operating from a photographic portrait studio located at 43 Western Road, Brighton. According to the Minutes of the Brighton Swimming Club, dated 2nd June 1863, Benjamin Botham was admitted to the swimming club "on condition of his taking a photographic sketch of the members of the Club". To read an account of Benjamin Botham's life and photographic career click on the link below: Benjamin William Botham d) Known details of the subject or sitters The group photograph shows nineteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club posing on Brighton beach. The swimmers wear top hats, but are dressed only in short bathing drawers. There are a few men in the assembled group who appear to be in their early forties, but over half of the swimmers depicted appear to be young men in their late teens or in their twenties. In 1860, the year the swimming club was formed, there were a total of thirteen members. By 1863, the membership of the Brighton Swimming Club had risen to 59. George Worsley (c1835-1911), a founder member of the Brighton Swimming Club, was about 25 years of age when the club held its inaugural meeting on 4th May 1860. Charles Hindley (c1820-1893), the Secretary to the Brighton Swimming Club was a 40 year old bookseller when he attended the swimming club's first meeting in May 1860. The well-known swimmer Frederick Cavill (1839-1927) joined the Brighton Swimming Club in May 1862, a couple of months before his 23rd birthday. Leonard Reuben Styer (1843-1932), who was President of the Brighton Swimming Club from 1880 until 1931 arrived in Brighton during the 1860s. A Northampton-born dentist, Leonard R. Styer had established a dental practice at 15 Cranbourn Street, Brighton by 1865. If the yellowing group photograph of nineteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club was taken in 1910 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the club, would there not be more senior members of the club present? An official group photograph of members of the Brighton Swimming Club which was taken in 1891 features some of the founding members of the club who, some twenty years after the establishment of the swimming club, were then middle-aged or elderly. Identifying Members of the Brighton Swimming Club from Photographs Two unidentified members of the Brighton Swimming Club (1863?) Leonard R. Styer Photographed in 1881 Leonard R. Styer (1843-1932) George Brown Photographed in 1881 Unidentified member of the swimming club. [ABOVE] A detail from an 1891 group photograph of the Brighton Swimming Club, showing the more senior members of the club. e) Circumstantial and documentary evidence relating to the photograph Minutes of the Brighton Swimming Club, recording a Committee meeting held on 2nd June 1863, notes that Benjamin Botham, a professional photographer with a studio at 43 Western Road, Brighton, was admitted to the swimming club "on condition of his taking a photographic sketch of the members of the Club". (See extract below) . Periodically, the Brighton Swimming Club commissioned professional photographers to take group photographs featuring members of the club. The Brighton Royal Pavilion and Museum has in its Photographic Collection a group photograph by A. D. Norman & Co. of at least sixteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club posing outside their club-house in the King's Road Arches. The printed inscription on the card mount indicate that the photograph was taken at 8.00 am on a March morning in 1891. f) Stylistic, Cultural and Historical Aspects of the Photographic Image. The old, yellowing photograph of nineteen members of the Brighton Swimming Club is unusual in several respects. What is striking is the relative informality of the photograph, especially when it is compared to the more rigidly structured and orthodox group photograph of the Brighton Swimming Club produced in March 1881. Interestingly, the Minutes of the Brighton Swimming Club recorded on 2nd June 1863 specifically mentions that Benjamin Botham was to take a "photographic sketch of the members of the Club". Formal group photographs of sports teams and clubs were uncommon during the 1850s and 1860s. (An early example of a team photograph was taken by Thomas Henry Hennah of the Brighton firm of Hennah & Kent in 1859. Thomas Hennah's camera captured the English cricket team on the deck of the Nova Scotian in early September 1859, just before the ship sailed from Liverpool to Quebec for the start of the team's cricketing tour of Canada and the United States). The conventions of "group photography" had not been firmly established in the early 1860s and the photographer clearly had difficulty in deciding how to arrange this large group of men, particularly because they insisted in wearing their tall top hats. It is unlikely that this photograph would have been commissioned as an official group photograph of the Brighton Swimming Club. In the first place, the members of the Brighton Swimming Club are shown in a state of undress which would make a public display of the photograph unsuitable. The photograph is more of an informal pictorial record of some of the members of the swimming club. It would produce some amusement and interest if displayed on the wall of the swimmer's club-house, but would cause a bit of a stir at home if it was exhibited alongside family photographs at home. Formal group photographs either resulted from a subscription raised by the sitters or were paid for by the supply of copies to individuals who featured in the photograph. The swimmers in the back row of the group photograph would probably be unhappy if they were required to make a contribution to the cost of the photograph by purchasing a copy for themselves. The description "photographic sketch" is quite apt. Although the swimmers appear awkward and uneasy in their posed positions and wear serious or blank expressions on their faces (only a few manage a half-smile), they probably regarded the whole exercise as a "bit of fun". This is emphasised by the odd pose adopted by the bearded figure, wearing the light-coloured top hat, who stands on one leg, slightly in front of the main group. (Is this an unspoken tribute to John Henry Camp, the one-legged swimmer and Steward of the Brighton Swimming Club ?). The bearded man wearing the light-coloured top hat seems to be holding his hands in a position which suggests his thumbs are locked into the lapels or pockets of an invisible jacket or waistcoat. It has been suggested that the photograph was taken early in the 20th century as a type of pictorial "spoof"; parodying the formality and fashion sense of the founding members, who established the Brighton Swimming Club some 50 years earlier in Victorian times. It is true that the incongruous top hats worn with the skimpy bathing-drawers provides a humorous effect, highlighted by the swimmer who poses on one leg, yet this theory rings untrue and is not supported by the visual evidence. The technical quality, style and general appearance of the yellowish group photograph suggests it was taken in the 1860s or 1870s. If the members of the Brighton Swimming Club had set out in 1910 to "dress up" in the style of the club's founders, it is unlikely that they would have been able to assemble such convincing and authentic costumes. [LEFT ] A group photograph of 18 members of the Brighton Swimming Club, probably taken during the first two decades of the 20th century. If the yellowing group photograph of the nineteen swimmers wearing top hats and bathing drawers was taken in the early years of the twentieth century, wouldn't some of the club members pictured in the photograph on the left appear in the "yellow photograph" too?

Changing Styles in Top Hats [ ABOVE ] Top hats in 1857. The famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (centre-right) and his associates photographed wearing high straight-sided top hats (nicknamed "stove pipes") at the attempted launching of The Leviathan (Great Eastern) in November 1857. [ ABOVE ] Top hats in 1861. A group of foremen photographed by the firm of Cundall & Downes at the site of the International Exhibition held in London in 1861. This is a detail from the original photograph which featured ten men, six of whom are wearing high-crowned top hats. [ ABOVE ] Top hats in 1872 . A cabinet portrait of two men linking arms, possibly brothers or close friends, photographed in 1872 or 1873 at the "Merrick" photographic studio at 33 Western Road, Brighton, which was owned by Brighton entrepreneur Joseph Langridge (1812-1895). The two men are wearing fashionable versions of the traditional top hat which, compared to the high straight-sided "stove pipe hats" of an earlier period, have a lower crown and a more graceful "incurving" line. The brims of the top hats in this picture are noticeably more curly than the top hats from the early 1860s. [PHOTO: Brighton Museum Photograph Collection] [ ABOVE ] Top hats in 1876 . Detail from a "collodion positive" photograph of a group of holidaymakers about to set off in a horse-drawn carriage. The majority of the men in the photograph wear fashionable top hats which have a lower crown and a curlier brim compared to the higher, straight-sided top hats of the previous decade. [ ABOVE ] Top hat in 1877 . Detail from a cabinet portrait of a man wearing a top hat , photographed at a studio in the United States around 1877. The man's top hat is medium-tall and has a fashionable curly brim. By this date, it was usual for photographs to be made with fermented albumen, which greatly reduced the yellowing of the photographic image. [ABOVE ] Top hat in 1885 . Detail from a cabinet portrait of a man wearing a top hat , photographed at a studio in the United States around 1877 [ABOVE ] Top hat in 1895 . A detail from a studio portrait of the boxing champion James J. Corbett, taken in 1895. [ABOVE ] Top hats in 1911 . Two illustrations from a 1911 fashion plate. Top hats produced in the early 20th century had lower crowns and flatter brims. Changing Styles in Men's Swimming Costumes [ ABOVE ] A male swimmer wearing short bathing drawers (called "calecons" in France) in a detail from an 1869 painting by the French artist Frederic Bazille (1841-1870). During the 1860s, men either swam naked or wore short bathing drawers when not in the company of women. In Victorian England, men and women usually swam separately from bathing machines or segregated beaches. Away from the opposite sex, Englishmen could swim naked if they wished. At public swimming contests held in England in the 1860s, men were required to wear bathing drawers. [ ABOVE ] A male swimmer wearing a full-length bathing costume, leaving only his arms and lower legs exposed.. In France during the 1870s, if male bathers wanted to swim alongside women on public beaches they were expected to wear bathing costumes that covered the body from their neck to their knees. In the 19th century, Englishmen who preferred to swim naked often criticised the French practice of mixed bathing and regulated swimming costumes. At public swimming competitions held in the 1860s, men were required to wear bathing drawers. In the 1870s, modest bathing suits which covered the chest and upper thighs were generally worn by male swimmers. Identifying Members of the Brighton Swimming Club Fred Cavill (1839-1927) Frederick Cavill [ ABOVE ] Frederick Cavill (1839-1927) was one of the most accomplished swimmers in the Brighton Swimming Club. Born in Kensington, London on 10th July 1839, Frederick Cavill , a Brighton swimming instructor, joined the Brighton Swimming Club on 2nd May 1862 at the age of twenty-two. In 1878, Cavill decided to emigrate to Australia. Frederick Cavill and his family arrived in Melbourne on board the "Somersetshire" in February 1879. An experienced long distance swimmer, Frederick Cavill established a swimming school in Sydney Harbour under the title of "Professor Cavill". It is possible that a young Fred Cavill posed with other members of the Brighton Swimming Club when Benjamin Botham made his "photographic sketch" in 1863. Unfortunately, the only pictures I have found of Frederick Cavill show him heavily bearded, in middle-age (an 1882 engraving of "Professor Cavill" ) or towards the end of his life ( a photograph of Frederick Cavill published with an obituary). The yellowing picture in the centre shows an unidentified member of the Brighton Swimming Club in a detail from a group photograph believed to have been taken in the 1860s [ABOVE ] John Henry Camp (1826-1875), a founder member of the Brighton Swimming Club, was a celebrated one-legged swimmer, having had his left leg amputated some years before.