St Giles Fair, Oxford

St Giles Fair, Oxford, Oxfordshire, September 1905. Photographed by Henry William Taunt (1842-1922) on silver gelatin glass plate negative. Despite the bustle of St Giles's Fair, the photographer Henry Taunt has inevitably attracted attention perched, presumably on a stepladder, above the fairgoers. Employees of the ornately decorated Taylor's Royal Electric Coliseum are drumming up business, and a Fried Fish and Chip Potato wagon stands beside the gas lamp. St Giles's Fair had evolved from a parish wake first mentioned in 1624 into a major amusement fair with special trains bringing visitors from far afield. Taunt photographed the fair from the late 1860s, hoping of course to sell many images, and also out of personal interest

1624 Afield Amusement Attracted Bringing Bustle Chip Coliseum Despite Drumming Employees Evolved Fairground Fried Gelatin Giles Giless Hoping Inevitably Mentioned Organ Ornately Oxfordshire Picturing England Potato Presumably Sell Stepladder Taunt Wake

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