I have uploaded a photo that is before 1913, what class do they look?

Question

All my dads family come from Tredegar, a small village in Wales, and I always thought tredegar people were really poor. but lookind at this photo of my grt grt grt grandparents I thought they would be in rags?

He was an engine stoker, people just told me what that was, so was it an ok living?

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee6/leanne_dando2007/32715de3-39f7-45d2-b476-b6c5f96c312.jpg

Answer 1

i'm sure they had to have some good clothes either way

maybe they were poor or maybe middle class

what i want to know is why back then did no one smile?

Answer 2

I love the photo. I would say middle class for sure.

Answer 3

This would have been normal dress for the poor working class. It was traditional to have a "Sunday best" - best clothes for church and Sunday. These would be worn for formal photographs.

As a railway worker, he would have been working class, and not poor, but not well off. It would have been a living wage, all spoken for.

Answer 4

Working class, but a stoker was semi-skilled so they'd be upper working class.

Dont forget that photograhs were really special then. The clothes ( and certainly the background) were often supplied by the photography studio.

But to even be able to afford to have a photograh made, shows they weren't poor.

Answer 5

Having your photo taken in those days was a Big deal, Everyone always dressed the best they could. My family were all working class, but to look at the photos you wouldn't know it! x

Answer 6

I agree with your other post..getting a photo taken in that time period was a huge deal. They would put on their absolute best clothes, so you cannot base their wealth,or lack thereof, entirely on this photo.  I don't know what kind of income he would have had in that profession, but it's a beautiful antique cabinet card.

To preserve it, make sure you keep it at room temperature, with acid and lignin free paper, which will not fade it. Keep out of direct sunlight too.

Answer 7

upper class