Thursday, July 2, 2009

Market St., Trim: Old and New


The picture above is from the Laurence Collection of photographs taken sometime around the beginning of the 20th century and now available online from the National Library of Ireland in their National Photographic Archive.

It shows Market St., Trim with the Yellow Steeple in the background. Below is the same view taken a few days ago. The modern view was taken around 2pm on a week-day, we have no way of knowing what time or day the older one was taken so we have to be careful about making judgements as to the amount of traffic and street activity then. The main structures on both sides of the street remain more or less the same with the exception of the Bank of Ireland building on the right - the red brick building.

Because the older picture is in black and white we are inclined to think it duller but in fact we have no idea what colour the houses are painted. I suspect they are painted in a variety of bright primary colours as indeed was the style in former days. The modern scene is noteworthy for its lack of colour. Bland off-white colours reign supreme. Even the cars are dull. I bet the carts in the older picture are brightly painted - red, green, blue no doubt, certainly no magnolia.

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