c.1900 - Esplanade Hotel and Penarth Head - An Autochome or a hand-coloured lantern slide held within the Penarth Dock Collection. I was attracted to this item on a well known auction website as I felt that it was a lovely record of days long gone. By the early 1960's the Esplanade Hotel had seen better days according to my friend Sally who lived at the hotel during her tender teen years. [001]  [20230512]

Following contact with the assistant curator at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford on the subject of the above, I received the following educated reply with associated links : -

Judging by the estimated date, it could be an autochrome. You can find more information about this process here: [1196] [1197]. Though your glass plate looks slightly less ‘luminous’ and sharp as you would expect an autochrome to be, so it is most likely a hand-coloured glass lantern slide. [1198] Many thanks to the National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, West Yorkshire. [1199]