A Thread to the Past - a photo on Flickriver

            I love domestic history, and I am known to often end up like Alice : lost down the rabbit hole, in my case a rabbit hole of historical facts.  When history is coupled with one of my other passions - haberdashery, in particular cotton spools with beautiful thread heads with elegant graphics - then I am in heaven!  This is one such example.

D. H. Evans was a large department store along the major West End shopping strip of Oxford Street.  D. H. Evans was opened in 1879 by Dan Harries Evans at 320 Oxford Street. Evans was a Welshman who had trained as draper and had moved to London in 1878. The store quickly grew and by 1885 it had absorbed three of the stores adjoining it.  In 1893, the store moved into further new premises at 290 to 294 Oxford Street and became a limited liability company.  In 1897, Dan Evans resigned as Managing Director but stayed on the board, and was replaced by Harrods manager Ernest Webb on the advice of Harrods and D. H. Evans director Richard Burbridge.  The business continued to expand by purchasing the business of neighbors James Goodman and Arthur Saunders, and in 1906, announced the rebuilding of the collection of buildings on the west side of Old Cavendish Street. In 1915, Dan Evans retired from the board and was replaced by Ernest Webb's son William Wallace Webb.  By 1928, however, D. H. Evans realized they could not expand without further investment, and due to the relationship with Harrods agreed a merger with Harrods being the senior partner, with William Burbridge becoming the chairman. 1935, land bounded by Oxford Street, Old Cavendish Street, Henrietta Street and Chapel Place was acquired and demolished for a new store designed by Louis Blanc, which opened in 1937.  In 1954, Harrods was purchased by House of Fraser, and D. H. Evans become a trading arm within the Harrods group. A second D. H. Evans store was added in Wood Green, London in 1980, and the Oxford Street store was refurbished twice between 1982 and 1985.  I began to shop there during this period.  In 2001, the store was rebranded under the House of Fraser name. The store closed permanently in January 2022.  

This small spool of creamy white thread has never been used, and comes from D. H. Evans' heyday in the Edwardian era of the early Twentieth Century.  I acquired it from a collector in Dorset, divesting herself of some of her pieces as she downsizes her home.  The spool has been photographed on a piece of heavily embroidered Art Deco patterned organza which I bought from a specialist shop that has a particularly wonderful range of unusual fabrics that they sell by the quarter metre (just enough for my purposes).

Taken on: January 26, 2025

Tags:

D. H. Evans and Company Limited

D. H. Evans & Company Limited

D. H. Evans & Company Ltd

D. H. Evans and Co Ltd

D. H. Evans & Co Ltd

D. H. Evans and Company

D. H. Evans & Company

D. H. Evans and Co

D. H. Evans & Co

D. H. Evans

cotton

spool

spools

reel

cotton reel

cotton reels

cotton spool

cotton spools

netting

net

embroidered net

embroidered netting

Deco

Art Deco

Edwardian

Edwardiana

1900s

1910s

Twentieth Century

20th Century

blue

white

pale blue

dark blue

mid blue

navy

waves

wavy

wave

aqua

fabric

vibrant blue

haberdashery

image

sewing

stitching

stitch

thread

cotton thread

twist

cotton twist

vintage

old

antique

retro

Oxford Street

English

made in England

British

Made in Britain

made in Great Britain

British made « less

Sets appears in: • Collectables • Ribbons, Lace and Notions

Groups appears in: • Photography • Ephemera more » • Collections • !Catchy Colors • Color and Colors - No computer-generated posts. • collection and collectors • Still Life • Still Lifes - Curated • Haberdashery / Notions • Photographic Art • Macro Photography • Flickr Blue • Still Life Images • Nice pictures • Old Stuff • Collectors: Please read posting guidelines • crafting world • Your mind, your photos • CRAFT • the collection collective • Creative Tabletop Photography • Object Collections • Natural Illumination • Photographic Impressionism (Seeing Creatively) • ! ART & PHOTOGRAPHY ! All artistic works welcome • Your way of STILL LIFE photography • Treasured Things & Collectibles • Swell Stuff & Collectables! • Natural Light • Creative Photo Group_ BASIC (P1-C3) • I love haberdashery • still life studies • Cherry on top! Photography - Please no nude or SL - P1/A2 • COLLECTIONS ON DISPLAY • " MASTER CLASS PHOTOGRAPHY " • old & vintage • Still Life photography / Natureza Morta • Singin' The Blues - Being BLUE • .·:*¨*:·.Nostalgia.·:*¨*:·. • Antiques, Collectibles, Fine Art, Jewelry • GR8 - Photos • Vintage Beads, Buttons & Other Vintage Craft Goodies • Oradaydım - I was there - [No rules - just photos] • **Collections for Collectors (CFC) No Limits** • Gorgeous crafting details • Spool Dollies/Dolls, Spool Art, & Spool Photos • Colour Mafia (Post 1, Comment 1) Hoffa Sweeper Active! • FlickrCentral With No Posting Limit • the art of collecting .. • Paradise by the photographers light [No AI or SL] • Still Life around the world • Best shot ''you'' ! • ! F l i c k r | S t y l e ! • Still Life Photography • Old & attractive • !* My Favorites Pics P1/C2 NO Nudity!! • The World of Still Life • !* CREATIVE OUTBURSTS ▒ Rules Changed, please read them! • Stills and Table Top. Natural & Artificial Light • !* Gold Sealings Memories ♠ NO FLOWERS/PORTRAITS! ♠ • Solidarity against cancer ♠ Solidaridad contra el cáncer • Grupo Flickr contra el cáncer. NO GROUP LIMIT • DazzlePix MACRO • !* PIONEER IN CREATIVITY ♦ - No Second Life or Sales - P1/A2 • LIFE IS A GIFT.....USE IT ! • !* Lines 彡Curves & Shadows - No People or Flowers! P1/A2* • !* Side by Side Society 彡 Friends to Friends 彡 Invite Only • Have a Nice Day!!! • Stealing Beauty ★ Beleza Roubada [P5-P0] • Welcome to flickr ! invite your friends and enjoy! • !* Friends Playground NEW; please award and don't dump! • School of Digital Photography • !* Gallery of Dreams ❣ Only Atmospheric Images! P1/A2 • crafting for ourselves • !* R.S.V.P. ♥ Something from the heart ♥ P1/C2 • Love for Photography ♥ Amor pela Fotografia ♥ P1/A2 • !* THE OPEN ART EXHIBITION *GROUP OF PHOTOGRAPHY!* • HIGH QUALITY IMAGES (POST 1 AWARD 5) NO B/W PHOTOS! • The Most Beautiful MACRO IMAGES ♪ Post 1 - Award 1 • K - for Kerkira's JOY [P1-C2] • !* Healing Light of the Spirit ♥ Photographic Works of Art • BRAVO 55555 [P1-C2] • !* Calling All Angels ♡ Joyful, touching sentiments of Art • Club of Friendship! Clube da Amizade! P1/ A1 • WE and OUR Friends [C1-P2] • Real B u tee ♣ post 1 award 2 ♣JOIN US • !* Studio for High Quality *MACRO SPECIALS* P1-A2 NO LANDSCAPES • !* JOY TO THE WORLD-HOW I CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE • !!* Ⓑlue Ⓑy ⓨou! ♣THE SUBJECT MUST BE BLUE! READ RULES! • !* Talent Photographique ✿ Only 25+ Faves ✿ P1/A2 • !* Talent Photographique Gallery ✿ Only 50+ Faves P1/A2 • Enjoy the photograph.Exchange with people all over the world. • Fugitive Moment *´¨* Post 1 Award 1 • !* DON'T WORRY BE HAPPYdeixe o brilho do amor uma luz em voce • !* Friends are the glasses of the ♥soul - RULES CHANGED! • !* The romantic storybook •• by invitation only• P1/C2 • Still life my passion - No sales!! *P1/C2 • !* Studio for Pastels & Soft Focuses; NO 2nd Life • A2 • !* ART♦ CLASS AND VALUE ♦ Artistic work only ♦ P1-A2 ♦ • Looking Old (no buildings) • !* The way we were - Only Vintage Style images - P1/C2 • !* A hug is worth a thousand words* NO Nudity & NO Sales! • !* What you see is what you are2 * re-founded! P1-A2 • Thread Spool Labels • !!* ♫ Our colourful life ♫ P1/C2 NO Transports! • !* Le temps passe... O tempo passa.... • MO - for MacrOs [& Details] [P1/C2] • !* Antologia Poetica / Poetic Anthology - By Odete de Paula • !* Ogham poem *Li sula = Delight of eye* P1 = Cmt2 • ♦♦♦ PHOTO VERY NICE ♦♦♦ • My favorite works of my Flickr friends • !* These little things.... / Ces petits riens... • Still Life Photogrpahy • !* Gallery - the Best *! Invitation only! • !* Joy in process 😍 NO Transports !! • Mude - Change P1/A2 please Read Rules! • Lots of love for you sweet friend ⌮NO Nudity NO Sales! • Because every picture has a story to tell* NO Sales NO Nude • Be Light the Art of Everyday - NO TRANSPORTS, READ RULES! • !* Selected Art by Admins • 18+ • AI is allowed • • !* Handicrafts and artistic creations * ! Post 1 ☞ Award 1 • The Sweetness of Silence ◙ A Doçura do Silêncio ◙ • Galería Siabala • !* Photographers with Soul; Feelings ❧ Emotions ART ❧ • Macro & Close up Photography • !* Magical Moments2 ♮ P1-A2 NO 2nd Life! NO Transports! • !* Delicacies of Life ~ soft, dainty, elegant only P1-A2 • Life is so fleeting! La vie est si éphémère! • brilliant flickr • * Everybodys Photo Group *(All Welcome) • medulaparamateo~for a better world (#M4M) please award 2 • !* A dedication for you ♥ Moments in Life ! P1/C2 • A PAZ invadiu meu coração2* PEACE in our hearts! NO transports • Vita es Splendor and friends • !* What makes you happy? O que faz você feliz? • !* TIMES WERE WHEN ⚜ THE OLD AGES • Before the day ends: BE HAPPY- Antes que o dia acabe: SEJA FEL • Colours of Flickr • One eye sees the other feels ツ re-founded group! • FREE YOUR PHOTOS FROM COLOURS (Concept Matters) • Group for all users of FLICKR - No 30/60 Groups Limit • The Magic of Colors • Carolina's farm friends - P1/C3 • FLICKR INTERNATIONAL - No 30/60 Groups Limit • Photos Thru Your Lens, (No People) P1,A1 or MORE at the time of • Opt out no limits for art work! • The best photographs from around the world. • Photo-Phactory • !* Museum Quality Art 18+ NO Second Life P1/A2 • Blue and White / Bleu et Blanc / Blau und weiß • Tabletop • BEAUTY PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD • Paint a Picture • Flickr-at-Home • H D R C O L O R • *** Blue / Bleu *** OPEN • *** Nikon,Canon,Sony,Fuji,Leica,Pentax,Iphone,Huawei,Samsung ... • Follow me my friends (public) • All Your Photos and Mine (No 30/60 limit - Photos from anywhere) • Coloured (Colored) Flickr • * no limits, just quality photography! • " Colors " - the ones that catches the eye, • !* Remembrance Susy ♥in Ricordo della cara amica♥NO SL ! • !!!EXQUISITE STILL LIFE (Tabletop arrangement) • !SevenColors! - High Quality Photos - Post 1/Comment 2 • WONDERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN GENERAL.MARAVILLAS DE LA FOTOGRAFIA EN • Give Peace a Chance ☮ NO WAR [P1- C2] • Colourful Captures • Photo Ambiance forum • 👍Mundo y vida « less

Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/8.0, 1/640 sec, 6.2mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	6.2mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Show full info

Stats: 4,488 views / 220 comments