Photo 04-12-01

Photo 04-12-02

These photos are mounted together in the centre of a page in Shirley Goodman's photo album. Although there is no concrete evidence, it is possible that these two were Ester Szajndl (aka Fanny) Gutman (née Frydman) and Symcha (aka Simon) Gutman.

The photo on the left is in particularly bad condition, and has been repaired with Sellotape in the past. It depicts a middle-aged woman, who could be anything from 40 to 60 years old. The photo bears parts of three circular rubber stamps, in violet ink, across three of its corners. Just above the Sellotape on the left of the photo, the word "DURHAM" can clearly be seen in the border of one stamp. In the top left-hand corner of the photo, a similar stamp has left the word "POLICE". In the top right-hand corner of the photo, this stamp appears to have been applied again, with the letters "POLI" faintly visible. There may be a fourth stamp in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo, which may also read "DURHAM".

One possible explanation for these stamps is that, from 1905, foreign "aliens" who did not hold British citizenship but who lived in England were required to register their presence with the police, in accordance with the Aliens Act. Perhaps this woman registered with Durham Police. The style and quality of the photo are consistent with a date of 1905.

However, if the above explanation is accurate, then this is unlikely to have been Fanny Friedman as she lived in Leeds.

The photo on the right is in slightly better condition and is much sharper in focus and contrast. It depicts a late-middle-aged man, probably in his 50s. The style of the photo and of the gentleman's dress suggests a date of around 1910. This photo also bears partial markings of two rubber stamps in violet ink. However, these are rectangular stamps, at an angle over the top left- and top right-hand corners of the photo. The stamp at the top left bears the date 1916 inside the rectangle, preceded by a couple of illegible characters. The stamp at the top right bears no date.

If this photo was stamped in 1916, and the style of the photo is consistent with that period, this is very unlikely to be Symcha Gutman, as he died in 1908 aged around 57. However, if the date of 1916 was an expiry date of some kind, then the photo could have been taken earlier. There seems to be a resemblance between the man in this photo and Joseph Goodman (Gutman Photos Page 2), Symcha's son, though this is clearly not Joseph, who was the eldest of his generation.

The fact that Shirley's album places these photos side-by-side suggests that they were a couple, and the only known Goodman couple of this age range living in this time period were Symcha and Fanny. The only piece of evidence to possibly contradict this hypothesis is the date on the gentleman's photo.

• Can you identify these two people?

• Have you seen these photos before?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-03

This photo was in Evelyn Fisher's collection, and she identified this dapper young man as her father's "cousin Jacob", although no cousins of her father's generation have yet been discovered. Jacob married very late in life, possibly towards the end of World War II. He was close to Evelyn's parents when they lived in Chiswick during the 1930s and early 1940s, and he used to visit for weekends, as he lived in the East End of London. Evelyn said Jacob's surname was Mandelson or Mendelson or similar, so his mother could have been a sister of Symcha Gutman or of Ester Szajndl Frydman, if Jacob was Harry's first cousin.

• Do you recognise this gentleman?

• Do you know any information about him and his life?

• Can you clarify his surname?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-04

This rather strange photo was also in Evelyn Fisher's collection, and she has marked her father, Harry Goodman, as the young man on the right. She thought the young man on the left was his brother Joseph, but this is clearly not the case, as there can be no mistaking Joseph's large frame (Gutman Photos Page 2).

The style of dress and Harry's approximate age date the photo around 1905 so, if the man on the right is Harry's brother, it could be Sam, although Sam was younger than Harry and this man appears older than him here.

• Can you identify the young gentleman on the left of this photo?

If you can, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-05

This photo was also in Evelyn Fisher's collection, and she identified her father, Harry Goodman, as the man on the far left. She said the others were his siblings, and the young man on the far right could be Morris Goodman.

The man in the centre of the photo bears a strong resemblance to the man on the left of the photo above, which may be Sam Goodman. It is possible that the two women could be their two sisters, Gerty Debovitch and Leah Zuck. However, the woman on the left looks very similar to contemporary photos of Harry's wife, Rachel Goodman (née Rose), in which case, if the man in the centre is Sam Goodman, the woman on the right could be his wife, Pearl (née Rosenthal). Sam and Pearl married in 1919, and this photo was certainly taken around that period, so this is possible. However, both the two youngest Goodman brothers, Louis and Morris, married before 1920, so this questions the theory that the man on the far right is Morris Goodman, especially as Morris married in 1918. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is serious doubt as to the identities of all the people pictured, apart from Harry Goodman.

The photo was taken at a studio in Blackpool, where Harry and Rachel and other members of the family would often go on holiday.

• Can you identify any of the four people on the right of this photo?

• Do you have a copy of this photo in your own family collection?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-06

This photo comes Shirley Goodman's old photo album. She was unable to identify this gentleman, but began by saying he was either part of the Goodman family or the unrelated Book family. On a subsequent occasion, Shirley came to the conclusion this man was not a Book, so was probably a Goodman.

It is difficult to date this photo, but the gentleman's style of dress suggests it could have been taken in the 1920s.

• Can you identify this gentleman?

• Do you have a copy of this photo?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-07

Photo 04-12-08

Photo 04-12-09

These photos were lent to me in June 2004 by Shirley Goodman, and appear in the same section of her photo album as the picture of Joseph Goodman with his son Nat, shown on Gutman Photos Page 2.

The photo on the left shows Joseph with a girl who is probably one of his daughters, though I do not know which.

The photo in the middle, clearly taken on the same day on the same beach, could depict Joseph's three daughters, Jessie, Rachel and Lily, along with a fourth female. The girl on the left of the group of three is undoubtedly Jessie Goodman and the ring on her left hand shows she was either engaged or married. She married in 1919 and her age in the photo, along with the style of dress etc places it probably in the mid-late 1920s or early 1930s.. If one of the other girls shown here is Lily, then this dates the photo as no later than 1929, as Lily was killed in a car accident that year.

The photo on the right shows young women who could be two of Joseph's daughters, along with a young girl who could be a granddaughter. Indeed, she may be the unknown girl shown in the photo below.

It is thought these photos may have been taken on Blackpool beach.

• Can you identify any of the girls in these three photos?

• Were they taken in Blackpool?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-10

This photo also comes from the same section of Shirley Goodman's old photo album and was clearly taken on the same day as those above. Joseph Goodman is the man at the back of the group, and his wife, Sarah Rebecca Goodman (née Harris) is second from the right in the front row. Their eldest daughter, Jessie Goodman, is at the far right of the photo. Joseph died in 1930, so this photo was taken no later than that year.

It can be assumed that the other young women are Joseph and Sarah Rebecca's other daughters, Rachel and Lily, plus perhaps a friend or cousin. That leaves a potential granddaughter to be identified, along with which Goodman daughter is which.

It is thought this photo may also have been taken on Blackpool beach.

• Can you identify any of the girls in this photo?

• Was it taken in Blackpool?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-11

This photo also comes from Shirley Goodman's old photo album. These could be two of the daughters of Joseph Goodman, posing for a comedy photo with some golf clubs in a back garden. The girls' age and mode of dress suggests the photo was taken in the 1920s. It appears to have been somewhat affected by light down its left-hand side.

• Can you recognise these two young women?

• Do you have a copy of this photo?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-12

This photo also comes from the same section of Shirley Goodman's old photo album. Joseph Goodman and his wife, Sarah Rebecca Goodman (née Harris), are standing at the back of the group.

The background suggests this photo may have been taken in Leeds.

• Can you identify the three women in the front row of this photo?

• Could they be part of Sarah Rebecca's family?

• Was it taken in Leeds?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-13

This photo also comes from Shirley Goodman's old photo album. The man in the centre appears to be Louis Harris Goodman, known universally as "Louis the Coal Man".

• Could the two girls be his two surviving daughters, Dorothy and Marie?

• Was the photo taken in Leeds?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-14

This photo also comes from Shirley Goodman's old photo album and appears to depict a group about to go on a trip or outing of some kind.

• Can you recognise anyone shown in this photo?

• Where was it taken?

If you can, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-15

Photo 04-12-16

Photo 04-12-17

These three photos also appear in Shirley Goodman's photo album. The man in the photo on the left could be one of the men in the above photo, so this one may have been taken on the same day.

• Could either of the first two couples be Isaac Jacob (aka Jack) Goodman and his wife, Sarah (aka Sadie)?

• Could the couple on the right be Louis Harris Goodman and his first wife, Cissie?

If you can, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-18

This photo also comes from Shirley Goodman's old photo album and is not in particularly good condition. It shows what appears to be the entrance to some kind of yard, adorned with signs. The sign on the left reads "Goodman Bros / Leeds / ...t, Payment, Civility". The sign on the right reads simply "Goodman Bros Leeds". This photo has an air of wartime about it, and the signs look as if they could have been put up fairly quickly. The wording on the left-hand sign is intriguing, without giving away the nature of the Goodmans' business! Unfortunately, the figures are in shadow, so no positive identification can be made.

• Do you recognise this place?

• Do you have a copy of this photo?

• Do you know what business the Goodman brothers owned?

• Do you know which Goodman brothers were involved?

• Can you explain the wording on the left-hand sign?

If you can suggest answers to any of these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-19

This photo also comes from Shirley Goodman's old photo album, and is mounted on the same page as the photo of Joseph and Sarah Rebecca Goodman shown at the top of Gutman Photos Page 2.

• Could this young woman be one of their daughters?

If you can suggest an answer to this question, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-20

This photo, from Shirley Goodman's album, probably taken around 1920, is most likely to be one of the granddaughters of Joseph and Sarah Rebecca, but it is not known which one.

• Do you recognise this pretty girl?

• Does this photo appear in your own family collection?

If you can suggest answers to any of these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-21

This photo was also in Evelyn Fisher's collection, and she identified this man as her uncle, Myer Rose. However, the style of dress and his age are not consistent with it being Myer, plus there is only a tenuous similarity with the photo of him on Gutman Photos Page 8. Furthermore, Myer Rose had no known connection with Brighton. David Simkin, a specialist in Sussex photographers, confirmed that this photo was taken in the 1890s (though it may be a reprint), and the style of facial hair is typical of the 1870s. Therefore, it has been proven not to be Myer, as Myer was born in 1877.

The question, therefore, remains, who is he? It has been suggested that there are enough similarities to Myer's father, Abraham Rose (also on Gutman Photos Page 8), that he could be an older brother of Abraham. The question remains unanswered.

• Can you identify this Victorian gentleman?

• Do you have a copy of this photo in your own family collection?

• Do you have family history in Brighton, with the surname similar to Brzezinski, Brazenshky, Brazinsky or even Rose?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-22

This photo was lent to me by Roger Rose. He does not know who these two young men are, but thought they could be two brothers of his grandfather, Harry. However, this seems very unlikely, as their style of dress suggests the photo was taken in the 1910s, by which time Harry's brothers would have been in their 30s and 40s.

The photo is 4.5cm in length and less than 3.5cm in height, and is in a very fragile condition. The reverse bears a rubber stamp of the Flashette Co of Queen's Arcade, Leeds.

• Do you recognise these two young men?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.

Photo 04-12-23

Photo 04-12-24

Photo 04-12-25

Photo 04-12-26

These photos were also lent to me by Roger Rose. It is presumed that his father, Bernard, took them whilst serving in WWII. The one on the far left appears to be a number of soldiers relaxing in the sunshine in front of a building which could, perhaps, be French in design.

The two photos in the middle show soldiers walking through a complex consisting of a number of cheaply-made wooden huts, along with a large, imposing, brick building. It is known that Bernard was among the troops involved in clearing dead bodies at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, following its liberation on 15 April 1945. However, it has yet to be confirmed whether these photos were, indeed, taken there.

The photo on the far right shows soldiers relaxing, possibly on board a troop ship or at a dockland, but it seems impossible to identify the exact location.

• Can you identify any of the locations in these photos?

• Were the middle two photos part of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp?

• Do you recognise any of the soldiers in the photos, or their uniforms?

If you can suggest answers to these questions, please contact me at saulmarks@hotmail.com.