Don't smile! You're on camera

This somewhat distressed photograph of a wedding was taken in 1901 making it just Victorian.
The Black family of Hawke Street, Portsea.The Black family of Hawke Street, Portsea.
The Black family of Hawke Street, Portsea.

It was sent to me by Janet Flynn and it is of the Black family who lived at 24, Hawke Street, Portsea, Portsmouth.

The reason they are all looking so glum is the exposure time of the camera shutter of the period.

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They would have to have kept stock still for six to 10 seconds with no smiling. How the children managed it, I’ll never know.

The groom is Alfred Black and the bride is Caroline Clark. The old man is Andrew Black (father of the groom) and his wife, next to him, is Mary Ann Black (née Light).

On the other side of Andrew I think is John Clark (in uniform), father of the bride, and her brother John is next to him.

The two boys at the back are William and James Black but we are not sure which is which.

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