I’m a photographr, so I love looking at old pictures. Old pictures are like a time machine. They can transport you back in time to another era and another age.
This picture was taken in Trafalgar Square in 1844 when the square was being built and Nelson’s column was nearing completion. The battle of Trafalgar had taken place in 1805, just 39 years before, and you can see that the builders are finishing off Nelson’s Column. 173 years ago, the year that Charles Dickens published Martin Chuzelwit and Queen Victoria was new on the throne, yet this new technology – something we take so much for granted now – was recording life.
A true snapshot of time.
Nelson’s Column under Construction, Trafalgar Square, London, first week of April 1844. Photo: Hans P. Kraus, Jr. Fine Photographs.