Sarah Evans, a landscape artist and illustrator from Penderyn, Rhondda Cynon Taf, purchased a vintage camera for £8 from a charity shop and discovered a roll of film still inside. She attempted to have it developed to see if there were any images on it and was able to retrieve a small selection of black-and-white family photos that were 70 years old. Sarah is now hoping to identify some of the people in these long-lost images.
Sarah mentioned that she picked up this Conway Camera, produced by Birmingham-based company Standard Cameras Ltd, roughly ten years ago at another second-hand shop and had always been on the lookout for something similar. However, this latest purchase, which had been acquired strictly for decorative purposes, had an exciting surprise inside. The camera’s advanced age necessitated a more specialized firm to develop the film and digitalization.
Sarah shared that there were only four images on the roll, possibly taken in the 1950s, featuring two women (a mother and a grandmother), two young children, and two babies. Behind them could be seen a row of brick-built terraced houses with a distinct Valleys look. Sarah intends to track down any leads for identifying the people and location in these images so she may share these snapshots of a time long gone with the people in them or their family.
Sarah’s post about her discovery on social media has already been viewed more than 400,000 times, and it is expected that there will be more attention paid to this project going forward. It is noteworthy that Sarah’s incredible discovery provides insight into the past and into people’s lives who might otherwise remain nameless and faceless. Sarah’s appreciation for the past and her dedication to uncover its layers show that sometimes treasure is where you least expect it
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