Costume Gallery

Harrods Shoe Department 1919 BL24450_021

HARRODS, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London. Baroque luxury of the ladies shoe department in Harrods. The ornate plaster ceiling and the lavish use of space emphasise the exclusive nature of the store. It was rebuilt following a fire in 1884 and was given a major extension in 1901-5. Photographed by Bedford Lemere & Co in April 1919

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Woad production, Algarkirk, Lincolnshire NMR02_01_00009

Algarkirk, Lincolnshire. A group of man and women cropping woad and collecting it in large wicker baskets. The earliest woad production in Britain dates from the Iron Age. By the 19th century, cheap production and imports of blue dye from indigo plants in Asia led to the woad industry's decline in Britain. The last commercial woad production in Britain was recorded in 1932 in Lincolnshire. Lantern Slide Collection, undated

© Historic England Archive

Post Lady, Kerrier, Cornwall, 1901 BB98_01839

This woman, working as a post lady, is emptying a post box at an unidentified location in Kerrier, Cornwall. Although it was relatively unusual for women to hold positions such as this at the time, it was not unknown, and many women were starting to campaign for equality through movements such as the suffragettes. Women over 21 achieved the vote in 1928, 27 years after this picture was taken. Photographed by Alfred Newton and Son, 1901

© Historic England