Joseph Hardman images take almost £5,000 at auction

The photographs have all been taken by Joseph Hardman between the 1930s and the 1960s.

Sold by 1818 Auctioneers, at J36 at Crooklands, the 16 lots included photos and glass slides capturing rural life in Lakeland.

“You'll be able to tell that this collection has captured our imaginations," said 1818 Auctioneers saleroom manager Bill Nelson. "One lovely moments during viewing, was when an elderly lady pointed at a young girl with a full head of curls in one of the pictures and said, 'that's me!'”

Joseph Hardman, who was born near Manchester in 1893, moved to Kendal in 1911. A prolific photographer, his images record all aspects of rural life which was fast-disappearing.

Having never learnt to drive he would travel up to 200 miles a week by taxi. On his death in 1972 his wife donated almost 5,000 glass negatives to Kendal’s Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry in Kendal; a fraction of the estimated 50-60,000 glass plate negatives he is thought to have taken.

His pictures featured in countless newspapers and magazines in Britain and in America.

Among the lots sold on December 5 was a large collection of several hundred glass lantern slides mainly of the Lake District including riding, hounds, climbing, curling and snow scenes by Joseph Hardman.

Although estimated to go for between £100 and £150, these sold for an impressive £550.

And there was also a large collection of black and white photos of the Lake District taken by Joseph Hardman including images of landscapes, rural life, farming and hunts. These fetched £700 on the day despite an estimate of between £300-500.

Many of the photographs were purchased by local museum, the Armitt, and the slides were all purchased by online buyers. The auction attracted 600 online bidders and a busy room.

The total across the 16 Joseph Hardman lots amounted to £4,835, which equated to 56 per cent more than highest estimate.

The remainder of the collection will be sold in February at 1818 Auctioneers.