Monday, 8 June 2015

Raking up the Past

I got a great idea whilst attending a workshop at Smut by the Sea called, ‘Kinking up the Past’ where I learnt you can create all sorts of stories, backgrounds, plots from a picture or a document, with very little to go on.

Once a month, I am going to put up a picture and ask you to comment a few lines about what you think that person’s life was like. I warn you, I am putting up the most intriguing, larger-than-life people! The person who is the closest will win a prize!



So, here we have Albert. That’s all I am going to tell you. Was he an illiterate farmer, impoverished poet or wealthy philanderer? Was he a father of 12, gay bachelor, heartbroken widower or abused divorcee? Did he die in WW1, as an old man, in a motoring accident or something else entirely. You decide – it may be all or none of the above.

The only clue I will give you, is that the photo was given to Polly and said ‘Kindest Regards, Albert’. Was Polly his mother, sister, wife, daughter, lover?


Have fun! The competition ends on Sunday 14 June.

14 comments:

  1. Gotta play.
    Hmm... Pillar, stick, and uniform. Maybe he was injured on army service and became an archeologist - an early version of Indian Jones. Kind regards is a little formal for a lover or even a family member. Maybe she was a student and fan. Or maybe she was his secretary.

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    1. I absolutely love the suggestions. I'm not going to comment on how accurate they are until the competition ends.

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  2. I think he was a farmer and died in the war I bet polly was someone who meant something to h but he could not openly declare his love

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    1. I absolutely love the suggestions. I'm not going to comment on how accurate they are until the competition ends.

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  3. Albert was a teacher. Polly was the woman he loved. The war separated them, but their love survived (back then 'Kindest Regards' meant something.lol) He wasn't injured in the war - rather he needed the cane when his problem with gout flared up, which was highly unusual given the fact that he was so thin. As you can see by the strained look in his eyes, that day he was having an attack. He was putting on a brave face, smiling as much as the pain allowed. He didn't want Polly to worry about him. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. lol

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    1. I absolutely love the suggestions. I'm not going to comment on how accurate they are until the competition ends.

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  4. I love this idea! What fun!
    Albert is a dashing soldier in this picture, but something about him says royalty. Could he be a king? King Albert! He dedicated his photo to his sister Marguerite, whom he (for some reason, lol) affectionately called Polly.

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  5. I love this idea! What fun!
    Albert is a dashing soldier in this picture, but something about him says royalty. Could he be a king? King Albert! He dedicated his photo to his sister Marguerite, whom he (for some reason, lol) affectionately called Polly.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Hi Jennifer - your comment came through - three times! LOL thanks for taking part.

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    2. My computer is whacky - I have trouble with links stemming from Facebook, for some reason! :è)

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  7. He was a prince and Polly was his nickname for his wife / love. He rode horses as he is dressed in jodhpurs.

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  8. I didn't see my comment so I'm doing it again. He was a prince and he married Victoria and called her Polly. 1800s.

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  9. Excellent idea Jennifer. I'm drunk! So I dare not write any more but I enjoyed reading this.
    Oh Yes he is rich.
    Or he was.
    Then as a father of 12 and divorced it all went down hill fast.
    Polly was a secretary working for his lawyer. He tried to salvage something but they all bled him dry.
    After losing the fortune he faked his own death in order to started a new life.
    And to make sure it really was new he lived as a lesbian woman and decided to take the name Polly.
    He settled down with a female lover, they had to be discreet because of homophobia of the time.
    His female partner never discovered that he was, in fact, a man.
    Drank Too much Wine - That's me not the character.

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