Lincoln: Pocket Images

Since the development of photography in the middle of the nineteenth century, the picture of our pasts provided by written chronicle, the museum artefact or by failing memory has been augmented by the most vivid and immediate relic of former times, the photograph. Authenticating even as it describes, the photograph is of its time in a way that other representations of the past are not. This photographic portrait of a period at once familiar and remote illustrates the impact of the last century on the ancient cathedral city of Lincoln. With origins pre-dating the Roman period, Lincoln has been the focus of local farming community and a centre for the manufacture of agricultural implements and, in particular, threshing machines. But it acquired a new significance in WWI, producing tanks and aircraft, and in WWII was notable for links with the RAF. The changes which have overtaken both city's streets and those who people them will be a surprise even to the older residents to whose lives the changes have formed the backdrop. Comprising the work of both professionals and gifted amateurs, this fascination selection provides glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. For those who can still remember, it offers a trip down memory lane; for others, it will be a voyage of discovery.