From the childish charm of Monday to the rustic history of Tuesday!
This building in Kilkenny is a very distinctive, and captured in a particularly fine image, with good detail of the arch and adjacent buildings. It looks like early in the day to me, but there are no dogs in evidence and as the old motto goes "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"!
Thanks to fantastic inputs on this image (including from
B-59,
Niall McAuley,
beachcomberaustralia,
O Mac, and
guliolopez), we learned a lot more about the subject and date. It is confirmed that this is
Rothe House, a late-16th century townhouse in Kilkenny's medieval centre. Built by the merchant Rothe family, there's strong evidence that it was captured in this Lawrence/French image early in the catalogue range - probably the 1860s. The strongest evidence of this (apart from the dress and marvelous mutton-chops of the chaps standing unironically outside the barbers) is the poster beside the arch. The poster advertises a "lecture" in "Electro-Biology and Phrenology" - both common to a
branch of practiced "sciences" which were fashionable in the 1850s and 1860s. As part-alternative medicine and part-entertainment...
Photographer:
Robert French
Collection:
Lawrence Photograph Collection
Date: Catalogue range c.1865-1914. Likely c.1860s
NLI Ref:
L_CAB_00982
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at
catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner:
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source:
Flickr Commons
Views: 25546
B-59
Streetview: goo.gl/maps/TncdK6jHdet
B-59
"Rothe House, is a unique Irish 16th century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconstructed garden with orchard." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothe_House
B-59
S. also www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&...
Niall McAuley
a.k.a the Rothe House from 1600, here at the NIAH
Niall McAuley
Ooh, what a cool poster! LECTRO-BIOLOGY PHRENOLOGY
Niall McAuley
The NIAH says the building was restored in 1898 to accommodate use as a Gaelic League house. Is this before that, given the Barber, and Lodging house in situ?
Niall McAuley
Lectro-biology was apparently a form of hypnotism. mentioned in the 1877 G&S The Sorceror.
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Well before 1898 restoration - see the first floor windows, arcading, and lack of Oriel window.
Niall McAuley
No Gordon, Delany, Brophy on Parliament St. in 1901 census.
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
+ Porsche ! In 2013 via https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9800766865/
Niall McAuley
The mutton chop whiskers suggest the earlier part of the date range...
O Mac
Electro-biology
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Via Trove "electro-biology" seems to have been trendy in the 1850s and 1860s. eg - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/663600?searchTerm=elec...
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Here we go .... the fascinating story of "Count Borromeo", lectures on electro-biology and his connection with Kilkenny - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110099392?searchTerm=e... (1865)
Niall McAuley
I think the poster says something like PROFESSOR MORRISONS
Niall McAuley
Borissov?
O Mac
Or PROFESSOR ROBINSONS...... The writing on ladder bracket on the lamp post says COAL MARKET
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Wondering if 'Robinson' is yet another alias for Count Borromeo?! He was a character and a half. What about "Mary Gorma(?). Registerd. Lodging House and Emporium(?)" standing in her doorway ? Voting for early 1860s.
silverio10
Buena serie de fotos antiguas .
guliolopez
I had a look in the Irish newspaper archives this evening, and couldn't find any Professors Morrison or Robinson or similar. The most referenced "professor" was G. W. Stone. Who seemed to be local (or at least plied his form of entertainments around the country to the 1860s - appearing in the papers more than once, and not just in advertisements - as below). A "professor" Barnett seemingly also visited Belfast in the 1850s. Example extracts below. I don't see much mention of the practice after the 1860s, so (unless Kilkenny was behind the fashion), I agree with the lads that we're almost certainly in the 1860s here.
guliolopez
Addendum. I still can't find a Robinson. Or a Borissov. But there's a Professor Morrison advertising in the Freeman's Journal in 1851. (If Electro-Biology sounded like so much snakeoil, how about some "Electro-Psychomachy" &c &c)
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Excellent stuff. Thanks all!! I've updated the map. And, unless there are further inputs overnight of tomorrow, I'll update the description and date to reflect today's inputs. (As an aside, and while perhaps I shouldn't be surprised any more, it genuinely does intruige me, nearly every time, to see where these discussions take us :) Between "Mary Gorman's Registered Lodging House and Eatery(?)" (with the ghost or perhaps Ms Gorman in the doorway) and "Dunne's Hairdresser and Barber" (with the ghost of an apron-wearing Mr Dunne under his barber pole), today's discussion could have taken us any which way. I had not expected to find ourselves courting libel in a Victorian court by decrying the 1860s equivalent of Keith Barry from the cheap seats!! :) )
guliolopez
Speaking of Dunne's barbers, do we think Mr. Mutton-Chops had his trimmed there? They look a little unruly. Hopefully he wasn't so distracted by the photographer that he missed his appointment.
BlueisCoool
A wonderful looking photograph.
Joe Cashin Photography(Thanks for 11 Million views
Thanks for adding your interesting pictures to the Kilkenny Group.
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joecashin Very welcome!