Do you have photographs of your family in their gardens? Here’s how to uncover the stories behind them

Studying our collections of old photographs, we notice that casual outdoor snapshots begin to outnumber traditional studio photographs precisely when past generations acquired their first cameras. Home photography of the early to mid-Victorian era was an elite pastime, practised mainly by the leisured classes; but during the 1880s technological advances and lowering prices encouraged middle-class hobbyists to become ‘snapshooters’. Later, following the launch of the Kodak Box Brownie in 1900 and other user-friendly cameras, especially from the 1910s, amateur photography extended throughout society.

Once a household owned a camera, the family photographer(s) snapped away, enthusiastically recording daily life as well as more auspicious events. However, until safe indoor flash apparatus became widely available, amateur camera operators generally shot photographs outside, where there was a natural source of light. Many old snapshots surviving today depict our predecessors in their own back gardens, from the manicured lawns of country mansions to the cramped yards of modest terraced houses. Some photographs we may recognise, but even the older, unfamiliar scenes can be dated, prompting further research into their locations and the identities of their subjects. Family garden snapshots are always fascinating, important visual records of the past.

Early to mid-1860s

Black and white photograph of a house with women in Victorian dress standing in the garden and the caption 'Freckenham Vicarage' — Source: Jayne Shrimpton

You may find very early garden photos in family collections if ancestors were prosperous, scientifically and artistically inclined, and enjoyed experimenting with expensive, complex apparatus. Typically these scenes depict spacious and elegant outdoor settings: fine historic properties on rural estates, or handsome dwellings in well-tended grounds.

This picturesque scene portraying a mid-Victorian family in a large garden with mature trees is one of several early photos depicting various properties displayed in a country house album.
The photographer or album compiler used a pencil to identify the setting as 'Frickenham Vicarage'. A modern researcher has corrected this to 'Freckenham Vicarage'.
Fashion details provide a firm timeframe for this scene – the females’ wide crinoline gowns and men’s loose lounging jackets and pale-coloured trousers all indicate the early to mid-1860s.
Privileged families used their gardens for leisure pursuits, including sport. Playing croquet on professionally tended lawns was especially fashionable in the 1860s and 1870s.

C. 1888

Black and white photograph of a man, two women, a young girl, three boys and a nanny, all wearing Victorian clothes and sitting in a garden — Source: Pat Brady

Amateur photography became a middle-class hobby from the mid-1880s onwards, as more convenient dry photographic plates and cheaper materials inspired our late-Victorian ancestors to try their hand.

This elegant garden scene derives from a set of glass-plate negatives. Images include different shots that were taken in the grounds of a Victorian house and inside a glass conservatory.
Dress details here, including the females’ tight-fitting bustle costumes, the matron’s white cap and the children’s sailor suits, confirm a close late-1880s date.
Researching census records and old maps revealed the setting to be the garden of a substantial family home: ‘Arreton’ on Surrey Road in Bournemouth.

1916-1918

Sepia photograph of two women in Edwardian clothing taking tea in the garden — Source: Fiona Adams

Amateur photography rose sharply from the mid-1910s, encouraged by a choice of affordable, user-friendly box and folding cameras, and perhaps also by the fast-changing events of the First World War. Many family archives reflect this trend, growing photo collections often being displayed in slim snapshot albums.

This photo comes from an album dated 1917. Snaps on adjacent pages of a soldier suggest a date of c.1916–1918 for this scene.
These ladies take formal afternoon tea outdoors using a china tea service and portable table. A lace-edged cloth decorates a stump, while an oriental-style stick parasol was a fashionable accessory.
The young woman wears a modern white summer frock or separate skirt and blouse with a fashionable large collar. Her mother is more conservative in a dark pre-war costume.

C. 1918-1919

Sepia photograph of a young woman sitting in a deck chair while another woman stands over her holding a Pekinese dog — Source: Fiona Adams

As snapshot photography advanced during and after the First World War, family garden scenes predominated. Few people yet owned motor vehicles, so families seldom travelled far after work or on weekends, instead enjoying pottering around or relaxing outdoors at home. Property ownership and more spacious suburban living were rising, and the domestic garden was becoming more important.

Another image from the family snapshot album dated 1917, the young women’s bobbed hair, billowing low-calf-length garments and fashionable footwear suggest a date of c1918/1919.
This design was common for the suburban house of the period: a lawn, path and flowerbed borders, with tall wooden fences defining the boundary.
Open-air domestic snapshots depict fashions in garden furniture. The familiar striped-canvas collapsible deckchair seen here became a common feature during the 1910s.
In garden scenes we often glimpse our forebears’ family pets. At the time of this snapshot Pekinese dogs were a particularly popular breed.

C. 1920-1923

Black and white photograph of a woman in 1920s clothing sitting in a garden with three children, one of whom has a bike — Source: Fiona Adams

More people acquired household cameras between the wars, and open-air snapshots show how families embraced modern life. Privileged ancestors have always used their grounds for leisure activities, and photos increasingly depict children playing outside, reflecting progressive ideas about childhood and the benefits of fresh air.

This snapshot can be dated from the lady’s deep-crowned cloche hat, dress with collar neckline and fashionable beads.
The three brothers are dressed according to their respective ages, the youngest in a juvenile belted tunic/shorts set, the others in hand- and machine-knitted jerseys typical of the period between the wars.
Mass production reduced the cost of once-luxury items, enabling more children to enjoy toy cars, tricycles and bicycles.
This shot shows how larger gardens might incorporate vegetable patches and networks of posts, wires and trellises, for growing produce and supporting rambling plants.

C. 1921-1924

Black and white photograph of three women and a man sitting in deck chairs in a garden while another man stands over them — Source: Fiona Adams

During the 1920s socialising outside grew fashionable and a golden tan became a status symbol, since it implied you had plenty of leisure time.

The ladies wear casual white sneakers or plimsolls with loose cotton dresses, their low hemlines typical of the early 1920s. The material displays fashionable art deco designs.
Men’s summer attire remained conservative in the 1920s. The formal three-piece suit was still common, although the combination of a sports jacket and light flannel trousers was a slightly more relaxed alternative.

1936

Black and white photograph of a woman in a suburban back garden — Source: James Morley

The 1930s saw many new detached and semi-detached houses with modern facilities being built in the suburbs on generous plots of land.

This image derives from a film negative annotated '8 Russell Grove 8–6–1936'. The road was in Mill Hill, a suburb of North London characterised by spacious modern homes.
The lady of the house tends her fashionable 1930s landscaped garden with traditional long-handled shears.
Trousers were beginning to be worn for gardening, although many women still preferred a frock or skirt, as worn here.

1946

Black and white photograph of an old woman sitting in a chair in a garden with a dog next to her — Source: Julian Hargreaves

Relatives of all ages appear in garden photographs, and their images can provide strong links down the generations. Elderly family members often enjoyed time outdoors in a familiar domestic setting, even when they were unwilling or unable to travel far from home.

This snapshot was taken by the subject’s grandson in the garden of Beta Cottage, a detached house in Barton-le-Clay, north of Luton, Bedfordshire. Her husband built Alpha and Beta Cottages in the late 1800s. Beta Cottage was intended for the family, but demolished by a relative in the 1960s.
Aged around 90, this grandmother sits in a traditional wicker bath chair, with practical rug, but wearing a smart suit and style of ornate hat favoured by mature ladies in the 1940s.
Clothing can be a clue to the time of year that a photo was taken, depending on the location, although bear in mind that elderly relatives may have felt the need to dress warmly year-round.