Gileric Gowns, a photo from Manchester, England

Photographer's Note

On Ducie Street, Manchester.

I was attracted by the old advertisement in remarkable condition, to begin with, but the bright red van was a bonus; if only it had been of the same vintage as the ad.

This part of Manchester, just a few minutes' walk south-east of the centre of the city and close to the Ashton Canal, is well restored, with the characteristic red brick buildings kept mercifully free of modern commercial advertising. This old ad for Gileric Gowns from H. A. Howard & Sons, outfitters, looks to me as if it has been on the wall of this building since the 1940s, or early 1950s at the latest.

Searches on the Internet for H. A. Howard and Gileric Gowns produce many photos of the same advertisement, on Flickr and other photographic sites, but none from this distance or angle, and hardly any information about the companies. Eventually I discovered that H. A. Howard & Sons were incorporated in Manchester in 1949 but the company is now dissolved.

Occasionally, in searching, I would find a comment attached to a photo from someone who had lived or worked in the building. One wrote that it was a well known landmark often used in giving directions. I could find very little about the Gileric Gowns company, but some website businesses selling vintage clothes are advertising Gileric evening dresses like this one! Only £185. And here's a Gileric tunic from the 1960s. I should ask my very old father about Gileric, since he was a tailor learning his trade in London during the late 1940s.

snunney, tyro, macjake, annjackman, Royaldevon, danos, jhm, jlbrthnn, Kielia, adramad, Glint, skippy007, orme, UlfE, CLODO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

papagolf21 (76465) 2011-04-25 8:12

Bonjour, cher Andrew,
Une photo qui explore le temps avec cette affiche publicitaire peinte qui a gardé toute sa fraîcheur d'antan.
L'ambiance générale est parfaitement reproduite à travers cette composition.
Une très bonne idée. Note d'accompagnement très intéressante également.
Amitiés.
Philippe

snunney (67228) 2011-04-25 8:15

Hello Andrew,
A most interesting note to accompany this well composed image. The placing of the wall on the right directs the straight to the advertisement for these strangely named gowns that I have never heard of before. I like the difference in lighting between the foreground and background and the resulting contrast in tones. The red van brings in another dimension. Beautiful rendering of the tones and textures in the brick walls.

holmertz (26876) 2011-04-25 8:32

Hello Andrew,
This advertisement looks so good I am tempted to believe it has been given a recent brush-up along with the rest of the area. It should be regarded a part of the cultural heritage just as much as the buildings. The red van helps to brighten this composition of many fine lines and angles.
Regards,
Gert

tyro (13021) 2011-04-25 9:45

Hello Andrew,

What an interesting piece of research you have done!

As usual, your photograph is amazingly clear and sharp with perfect exposure and beautifully saturated (but not overly so) colours. The bright red van anchors the composition very effectively and the whole picture is topped off with a glorious sky.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

macjake (39207) 2011-04-25 18:10

Hi Andrew
I can certainly see why this scene caught your attention. with or without the red van, its still a fantastic set up to be captured.
the long lines, the different colored brick, and the different angles of the buildings. With the building in the bg, it makes me wonder what else is down the street.
lovely sharpness, and yes, an interesting sign on the wall for an added focal point.
well seen street view
cheers
craig

annjackman (13177) 2011-04-25 23:40

Hello Andrew,
I was fascinated by your note that wonderfully describes the history to this old advert on a corner in Manchester. The new red van against the old brick facades works very well. Exposure and sharpness is spot on.
Regards, Ann

Royaldevon (17741) 2011-04-26 0:43

Good Morning Andrew,

A little bit of Lowrey, here, without the matchstick men. I always loved how he managed to turn the streets of Manchester into works of art, a bit like this!
A great pov uses the lines with tremendous effect, to make sure the viewer appreciates every last brick and window, as well as observing the ad. As you say, the van is a real plus, adding to the workplace image as well as vitality of colour.
Crisp and detailed.
Well done!

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

ifege (9414) 2011-04-26 3:01

Good composition Andrew. The red van adds that special touch of colour.
cheers
Ian

batalay (32840) 2011-04-26 20:54

Hello Andrew,

The red van adds color highlight in the manner a chop mark, but it's the Victorian brown-brick walls, and the advertisement in astonishingly well preserved form that are especially enticing. Manchester has a remarkable history not only in the Industrial Revolution, but the scientists of the early 20th century. I was invited to give a talk there a few years ago, but sadly I was unable to go. I would love to visit the great city.

Warm regards,

Bulent

danos (73926) 2011-04-27 2:28

Hello Andrew,
nice this part of the city with the red tile constructions to make the image more effective.The contrast of the colours are excellent with the red car to be bonus to the composition.

Regards,Danos

serp2000 (29144) 2011-04-27 3:10

Hi, Andrew,
Well, the red point of the car adds more life here.
Polarized filter gives excellent saturation!
The tipical old good England. Well seen.
Greetings from Russia,
Serghei

jhm (122334) 2011-04-27 4:12

Hello Andrew,

You chose a very well angle, we get depth and perspective.
Indeed the old advertisement is the real eye catcher on these picture.
Sharpness and clarity are superb.
Excellent composition, good presentation too. TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Loic_bzh (7646) 2011-04-27 7:21

Bonjour Andrew,

j'aime beaucoup ces vieilles peintures publicitaires. Celle-ci est vraiment bien conservée et tu as bien fait d'inclure son environnement immédiat. Tu as bénéficié d'une belle lumière plutôt rare sous ces lattitudes! Le souvenir que j'ai du nord de l'Angleterre est nettement moins ensoleillé!

A bientôt,

Loïc

jlbrthnn (79773) 2011-04-27 16:47

Hello Andrew,
I also like seeing the old advertisements. It is an interesting subject, that arouses the curiosity. The photo outstandingly consists. The sky, the texture of walls, lively color are pleasant elements. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Kielia (20411) 2011-04-28 3:04

Hi Andrew,
this only recently restored advertisement is really very photogenic! I like this composition a lot because it reveals a very nice sense of absurdity.
As already mentioned, the red van is the icing on the cake! My compliments, also for the interesting note!
Warm regards
Harriet

adramad (27544) 2011-04-28 14:42

Hi Andrew.
Very good composition with these characteristic peak of an era buildings, I like the different levels of the two buildings that give a good DOF to the image. The closed box adds a nice touch to the picture.
The most interesting note enhances the composition with an interesting history.
Good use of light with an accurate color. Well done.
Best regards.
Luis.

mozzy27 (2051) 2011-05-02 22:06

Hello Andrew
The little red van which incidently looks like a Holden Barina Bread van, the sky and the wonderful architecture all come together beautifully, very contrasty, a most interesting composition and the ad compliments the overall image. I see your still getting excellent results from that Pentax!
Regards Peter

skippy007 (12500) 2011-05-09 19:03

Hello Andrew, before I read your note I thought that with your father's trade background that sign would have been of interest to you, what must have gone thorough your head was, what do I do with this & what is the best way to capture this so that it tell a story. I think you have done a good job with it, I mean it's well placed in the frame, sharp, nice strong rich colours & you made perfect use of the brick wall as a lead in. The red van? yes, it adds colour & some interest but not sure that it is an essential item, I think it would have worked equally well without it. Nice one
Regards
Santo
Hell that was long winded.

orme (7205) 2011-05-16 1:49

Hello Andrew,
Living in a city with so much glass and concerte, if is nice to see buildings made of red bricks! I like the beautiful rich colours and how they contrast with the old black and white advert. Nicely framed, with a touch of perspective along the wall.
Best regards,
Andrew

UlfE (13722) 2011-05-22 3:24

Hi Andrew,

A very nice and well-composed photo. I love the way the wall leads in to the red car. Also a very good and informative note. I hope someone out there will provide you with the history of H. A. Howard & Sons

If I were to guess the company was one of those many small manufacturers of clothing which were started after W W II in Manchester, UK Centre for T & C industry. Presumably, the company focused on stylish, well made gowns, dresses other ladies wear of natural fibres. It is not unlikely Gileric was a trademark for the company.

The company probably did very good business during the 1950s when stylish clothing was very fashionable. In the 1960 the company was probably hit by fierce competition from Asia and fashioned changed into more casual clothing made of synthetic fibres. The company tried to adapt and started to make their gowns, dresses etc. of polyester or the like. This was bound to fail in the fierce competition and in the 1970s the company had to shut down.

I do of course not know this, but it is not unlikely that this is what happened. Thousands and thousands of European T & C companies that were successful after W W II have a similar history.

TFS this very nice photo and have nice Sunday!

Cheers,

Ulf

korbee (6295) 2011-05-24 10:45

Superbe retro England Andrew,your position is very keen chosen,I like the advertisement of the wall,it gives the photo a lot of extra.
It needs a lot skill to make something nice of grey Manchester ;]]
Well done!.

jan

photilus (5488) 2011-05-28 3:19

Hummmmm !!!!

CLODO (24688) 2011-06-08 1:32

hello Andrew

You stroll in the same streets as I while in Manchester. This was the advertissement way before the paper'ones and now the electronic screens. Good lighting (there is sometimes sunshine there!) and good POV to incorporate the wall (in fact a bridge fence over the canal) and the red van.
regards
CLODO

Photo Information

Copyright: Andrew McRae (macondo) (17949)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2010-05-28
Categories: Architecture, Artwork
Camera: Pentax K200D, Tamron 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DiII, Cokin 62mm Circular Polarizer
Exposure: f/8, 1/125 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2011-04-25 6:52