iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

A pleasure to mark #BritishMusicHallDay by giving a talk today on ragtime and Blackpool in 1913. One routine in Blackpool’s bonkers Monte Carlo to Tokio was a mirror gag — so here’s Charlie Chaplin in 1916 showing the kind of comic routine audiences would have loved. youtu.be/ndJqFqPxjfE?...

youtu.be

The Mirror Routine - Charlie Chaplin - The Floorwalker (1916)

YouTube video by Dimitris Moraitis

061

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Watching the great Easter Parade & the song ‘When that Midnight Choo Choo’. The song was introduced to the UK in 1913 by Bert Feldman & features in my talk for @musichallsociety.bsky.social on Bert, Blackpool and American music promotion in 1913 on 16 May online. youtu.be/izSCwP_4YGU?...

youtu.be

Easter Parade | WhenThe Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabama | Warner Bros. Entertainment

YouTube video by Warner Bros. Entertainment

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Choose 20 paintings that have stayed with you or influenced you - one painting a day for 20 days, no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just paintings. Day 3: Tiger, Franz Marc (1880 - 1916) #blueskyartchallenge

$An expressionist painting of a crouching tiger rendered in sharp, angular forms. The tiger’s body is composed of bold planes of yellow, green, orange, and black, with its head turned slightly to the side and one eye visible, giving an alert, watchful expression. The surrounding landscape is abstracted into jagged shapes in deep greens, purples, and warm earth tones, creating a tense, fractured environment that mirrors the animal’s coiled strength.$

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Choose 20 paintings that have stayed with you or influenced you - one painting a day for 20 days, no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just paintings. Day 2: Springtime of Life, Uemura, Shoen (1875 - 1949) #blueskyartchallenge

010

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Choose 20 paintings that have stayed with you or influenced you - one painting a day for 20 days, no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just paintings. Day 1: On through the Silent Lands, Jack Butler Yeats (1871–1957), Ulster Museum #blueskyartchallenge @ulstermuseum.org

An expressive landscape painting shows a solitary, loosely rendered figure standing in the foreground, viewed from behind, gazing across a vast, windswept terrain. The figure, draped in flowing garments with touches of red and green, stands on a patch of vivid ground painted in bold strokes of pink, yellow, and blue. Beyond them stretches a sweeping landscape of water and marshy land leading to a towering, pale blue-green mountain or cliff rising dramatically in the distance. The sky and land blend in loose, gestural brushwork, creating a sense of movement and atmosphere rather than precise detail. The overall mood is contemplative and expansive, with strong contrasts between cool blues and greens and flashes of bright colour in the foreground.

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Posting about films with Dad again. MGMs Weekend at the Waldorf (1945) with Ginger Rogers. There’s a terrific number from Xavier Cugat and Lina Romay. Latin culture at the height of fashionable glamour, full orchestra, and the entire song performed in … Spanish. 👀 youtu.be/KJRl3wL51bs?...

youtu.be

Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra Feat.Lina Romay - Guadalajara

YouTube video by Pacer Shark

010

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Before I left Showtown I discovered a 1913 romp called Monte Carlo to Tokio: cross-dressing, mistaken identities, cultural stereotypes and star-crossed lovers - bonkers! It was an attempt by Bert Feldman to sell ragtime to British music hall with wild results. www.ticketsource.co.uk/britishmusic...

Close-up of a worn purple Phoenix Record label on a black shellac disc. The label features a gold phoenix with outstretched wings and reads “How Do You Do, Miss Ragtime?” performed by Warwick Green, comedian, with orchestra. The record shows scuffs, age marks, and a small Feldman & Co. copyright stamp.

030

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Three venues. Three legendary shows. Blackpool, 1949. ✨Water Follies with Tarzan - Johnny Weissmuller ✨Coconut Grove with Jewel & Warriss, and teenage Julie Andrews ✨The Orchid Room with rising Frankie Howerd Blackpool fun at its glittering best #Variety #JohnnyWeissmuller #FrankieHowerd

Blue and orange cover for Water Follies with photo of Johnny Weissmuller from his role as Tarzan.

Orange and blue back cover for Coconut Grove with photo of Jewel & Warriss.

Pink and white cover for the Orchid Room on Central pier with three headshots of Frankie Howerd with three different expressions.

030

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

What is it about autumn & winter that draws us to mystery? This 1893 Blackpool programme feels perfect for the season: hand-painted scenery, limelight effects, and the title ‘A Detective’. Proof that the thrill of suspense never goes out of style. #VictorianStage #BlackpoolHistory #FromTheArchives.

Page from an 1893 programme for the play ‘The Detective’

A page from an 1893 programme at the Blackpool Winter Gardens for the play ‘The Detective’ with the acts listed incl. The Trap and The Sham Nurse.

040

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Flip it over 👀 . This 1942 Blackpool Palace poster for Dorchester Follies hides another performer’s face on the back. I love the little discoveries you make when researching in collections. I know it’s about paper rationing but I want to know who this was!

Maurice Winnick Productions present Dorchester Follies

Sepia print of an unknown male face in a hat

030

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Science Museum @sciencemuseum.org.uk · 16/05/2025

🌞 After soaking up the sun, keep the fun going in Power Up, our hands-on gaming experience, this weekend! The perfect post-park hangout, located only 10 mins away from Hyde Park. 🎮 Book your tickets now and let’s play! bit.ly/43lbm7C

031

Reposted by Caroline Hall

British Music Hall Society @musichallsociety.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Excting events ahead! Check out our 2025 programme - from fascinating talks to seaside fun in Eastbourne ! Everyone's welcome. britishmusichallsociety.com/events

britishmusichallsociety.com

Events | British Music Hall Society

Our events are sociable affairs and open to everyone, come along and join us!

011

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

🎉🙌Permanent Exhibition of the Year!!! 🥳👏 “…lively, engaging, and unapologetically fun – the museum equivalent of a thrilling arcade” I’m so excited for this to be happening for #Blackpool right now. Thank you to all who made the joy that is #Showtown awards.museumsandheritage.com/awards/2025-...

awards.museumsandheritage.com

Permanent Exhibition of the Year - Museums + Heritage Awards

040

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Seaside Heritage Network @seasidenetwork.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

We're excited to announce that on 6 June we'll be co-hosting our first day symposium with @hbap1924.bsky.social on Recognising Seaside Heritage. We've got speakers from around the coast and across the heritage sector discussing the challenges and sharing experience hbap.org.uk/recognising-...

0187

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Harriet Atkinson @harrietatkinson.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Studentship available to study MA Curating Collections and Heritage. Deadline 30th June 2025. Open to applicants from the African or Asian diaspora or a marginalised ethnicity. The course is a collaboration between Brighton & Hove Museums and University of Brighton. Further info: lnkd.in/e8CJhtey

12027

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

This image was in a folder titled unknown female performers in our Cyril Critchlow Collection. The words in the background make me think this could be Coney Island? #Blackpool #Collections #ConeyIsland

Woman in tights, shorts, tunic, cloak and feathered hat facing away from the camera. A carousel is in the background.

051

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Five years of closure, three collection moves, one new museum and and six months of recant and we are there. Time to celebrate with my amazing team.

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

A startling item from the #Cairoli collection highlighting the history of performance. We used this in the recent press campaign for the relaunch of the #Showtown history centre. I still find the French royal court association fascinating. I’ve put the google translation in the alt text.

By permission of Mr. Lamman Two twin brothers and two twin sisters Unique spectacle due to their perfect resemblance Two twin brothers and two twin sisters have just arrived, who have never appeared in this city; they are so like-minded and of such a similar size, especially the women. These four people sing pleasantly in German and French; they have exactly the same voice. The two twin brothers felt such a strong sympathy for each other that they married their twin sisters on October 7, 1773, in the parish church of St. Peter the Old, in Strasbourg. These four twins present two marriages, and a spectacle so curious and so extraordinary, that such a natural history has never appeared in the world. They had the honor of being presented to His Majesty, on October 1 last, in his apartment, by the Duke of Villequier, First Gentleman of the Bedchamber; and to the Queen, by the Countess of Noailles, First Lady-in-Waiting; and to the entire Royal family, whose admiration they have earned, and have deserved the applause of all the Princes, Princesses, and Lords of the Court. On February 19, 1775, Count de Burgaw, brother of the Queen, honored them with his presence and was very pleased. On July 30, they were presented to HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Lorraine, etc., at his Castle of Tervuren. These four twins will go to the houses where they are requested, giving them one hour's notice. They may be seen from 9:00 a.m. until noon where they are staying, and from noon until 5:00 p.m. in town, and then from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the lodge. Two steps will be taken for the first seats, one for the second, and a plaquette for the third. People of distinction will give according to their generosity. They are accommodated at the Tete d'Or, on the square.

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Well, this is it. The Showtown History Centre reopens Friday 25th April. I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief and happiness that we made it. I’m so grateful to all who have supported the process of safeguarding Blackpool’s collection and I can’t wait to see people using them again.

Tower Palace Grand combined programme and journal

040

Reposted by Caroline Hall

South Glasgow Heritage & Environment Trust @sghetorg.bsky.social · 04/10/2024

Our #ArtDecoSouthsideAlive! project recasts local icons as beacons of inspiration & action! ✏️ Urban Sketching classes 🏢 Schools Art Deco Model Challenge 🎙️ Oral Histories community stories 🐾 Guided walks for Liveable Neighbourhoods 📚 Guidebook fusing past & future themes Stay tuned #ArtDeco #Glasgow

2246

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

We’re on the last few weeks now until we reopen the Showtown History Centre after 5 years of closure. We’re working on the books in our study collection. This little gem from #WorldWar1 is brilliant. Published in #Blackpool in 1918 by the R.A.M.C.

Illustrated cover of book featuring a man in the Royal Army Medical Corps, an image of Blackpool Promenade and the title ‘Spud Wilkins at Blackpool’ by Sergio H. V. Verrells.

071

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

I have been trying desperately to not put too much on about Blackpool in Ww2 because of the museums coming exhibition. At last it’s here, opening next Tuesday. Can’t wait to enjoy it and see others do so too! www.showtownblackpool.co.uk/news/bright-...

showtownblackpool.co.uk

Bright Lights in Dark Times

Showtown’s new exhibition reveals Wartime Blackpool’s Spirit. Opening 2nd April.

040

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Bit of break while planning the launch of the history centre. Good news - all of Blackpool’s collections are unpacked and on shelves. This little gem from 1900 shows the Kauffman Troupe of Trick Cyclists from the Pavilion Winter Gardens. Fabulous! #collections #victorian

Three b&w images of seven people on a bike, a lady on a bike in Victorian clothing and a portrait of a man with a moustache and a tunic covered in medals.

Cover of a guide to Blackpool with gold print and illuminated title in red and blue at the top of the page reading Programme of entertainments, railway and tram guide.

072

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Gorgeous drawing of the Empire Theatre of Varieties from when it was auctioned in 1900. It’s lovely to see this because it went through so many face lifts and renames until it became the Syndicate Nightclub. #collections #Blackpool #Theatres #musichall

Engraving of the Empure Theatre, an ornate Victorian building, looking down Church Street with figures in Victorian dress passing in front.

151

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I love this. Image of the site of #Blackpool Illuminated advertisement in the Place de Brouckère in Brussels Belgium. I’ve never seen an image of the sign in place but I would love to. There were no limits to the ambition. #collection #illuminations #brussels

Box containing unbound page from album with an early 20th image of a square in Brussels and underneath a street map of the location of the square. Hand written text reading ‘site of corporations illuminated advertisement in Brussels.

040

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

For years dad told me Blackpool Tower was built on cotton bales which his grandma told him. Finally I have seen evidence this story was not true. Not told my dad because his childhood memory of his grandma is precious. This is a schedule of works for the building of #Blackpool Tower. #collections

Typed page describing the foundation works for Blackpool tower.

040

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Advertising from Blackpool was always fun and specifically designed to its placement location. The language and the designs changed over the years but not the #Blackpool optimism. This one is for Stratford on Avon people, as if you couldn’t guess. 😂 #Collections #Shakespeare

Flyer reading: “To B. Or not to B.? That is the question.” There can only be one answer when “B” stands for Blackpool. Its breezes cure the ills that Flesh is Heir to, and its pleasures make a Visit a Consummation devoutly to be wished. No gloomy Hamlet but the liveliest of pleasure cities.

040

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Not from unpacking but from a kind donation. 100s of images from #Blackpool councils engineering department in the 1950s and 1960s that got forgotten then rescued. This small wallet contains images of traffic congestion and I can’t wait for them to be properly digitised. #collections #photography

1170

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Plenty of people around me loved these collections when we unpacked but as someone who struggles to bake a cookie they just looked like stress to me. Still thought I would share as Burton’s was so famous in Blackpool. #collections #blackpool #baking

Front page of icing book with photograph of large pink iced tower cake.

Front page with the text: North Edition Cake Making Icing and Breads by George F Burton (gold medalist)

Index page on notebook of baking and icing conference 1932

060

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

The glazing on this frame didn’t make it but it’s a lovely dedicated signed engraving of Teresa Carreño. I’m guessing this means the Venezuelan pianist performed in #Blackpool though I haven’t had a chance to check yet and I haven’t had time translate either. So much to do! #Collections #piano

Close up of engraving of woman in long black late Victorian dress in cracked frame.

020

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

'Saturday begins one of the most hotly anticipated weekends in Bradford, which also became the world’s first Unesco city of film in 2009: the reopening of the beloved Science and Media Museum, which has been treated to a much-needed revamp thanks to a £6m investment.'

theguardian.com

‘The scale is blowing my mind’: Bradford ready to shift perceptions as city of culture

From a spectacular theatrical opening to Afrobeat brass bands via David Hockney and Wallace and Gromit, the city has big plans

0175

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

The Tower Company commissioned beautiful paintings by various artists over the years for advertising. It’s been great to unwrap some of the original works this week. This is a large painting of the Palace Picture Pavilion where they exhibited films. #Blackpool #Collections #cinema

Framed painting of a theatre auditorium looking down to the stage and band pit from the balcony. The seats are filled with people in 1920s fashions.

060

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Hmmm 🤔, not quite sure why this is in the Tower Company Collection. It predates any major entertainment company in #Blackpool. However, amazing to have something from Astley’s. Think the date is 1828? #collections #circus

Type script performance handbill for the siege of Missolonghi.

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

The Tower Children’s ballet keeps being raised as an important story that bridges the local/tourist dynamic of #Blackpool. Looking at this poster today I saw the quality of poster design and the investment the Tower Company put into it. Definitely a history to investigate. #Collections

Poster in frame leaning in block. Poster depicts fairy ballet dancer against a blue sky and the Blackpool Tower as a castle.

010

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Spent a great morning at Blackpool Tower with photographer Jonathan Lynch taking shots of the Charlie Cairoli Whiteface clown costumes. Not conserved yet and with no stand we improvised for the existing mannequin mounts using a Christmas tree stand! #Blackpool #circus #collections

A polka dot sequin clown costume against a photographers backdrop surrounded by studio lights.

120

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Flicking through an autograph book we just unpacked and found this artistic entry by Frank Randall. The time and care - joy. #Blackpool #Collections #Variety

Notebook open with page showing signature “Cheers Frank Randall” and a line drawing of an old face wearing spectacles and a red nose.

140

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Robert Hazle @roberthazle.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Opened OTD in 1954 HAPPY HOLIDAY at the Palace Theatre with music and lyrics by George Posford and Eric Maschwitz. Emile Littler’s “New Christmas Show of Fun, Mystery and Song” was adapted Arnold Ridley’s hit play ‘The Ghost Train’ and starred Reg Dixon. It ran for only 31 performances.

141

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

Tonight’s film with Dad, The Pajama Game (1954). Aside from the brilliant music, it shines because of the Bob Fosse choreography and Carol Haney dancing the roof off. #filmsky youtu.be/0szHqIXQ2R8?...

youtu.be

The Pajama Game - Steam Heat

YouTube video by MarcosCohen

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

Before Christmas I was flicking through a notebook in the collection from 1870s. It contained this edited version of Garrick’s Advice to Married Ladies. It felt quite pointed that someone wrote this in a young ladies book. Wish I knew more. Transcript in alt text. #Blackpool #Collections

Notebook with handwritten verse:
Ye fair married damsels,
Who so often deplore
That a lover once blest
Is a lover no more;
Attend to my council
Nor blush to be taught
That Prudence must cherish
What Beauty has caught;

Use the man that you wed,
Like your favourite guitar.
Though music’s in both
They are both apt to jar;
How tuneful and soft
From a delicate touch;
Not haudled too roughly
Nor played on too much.

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

More posters today. Tessie O’Shea and Nat Jackley on the 1950 poster for Out of this world, the big season show at #Blackpool Opera House. I get so excited about the lovely poster design and illustration on some of these items. #collections #Variety

Illustration of Tessie O’Shea with blind hair and a red dress hanging from a parachute.

Illustration of Nat Jackley in a checked suit holding a parachute.

041

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

As it’s the year of the snake coming up and I’m a snake i think is was primed to focus on this photo immediately. Arimund Banu the snake charmer in #Blackpool 1934. The bra has been added for decency as she performed in the nude. Love her! #collections #yearofthesnake

Pile of b&w images of women performers. The top image is of a woman skimpily wrapped in a scarf and with a large snake draped over her shoulders.

130

Reposted by Caroline Hall

Louise Sutherland @lsutherland.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Last week, our wonderful North Area team had a visit to Blackpool. It’s a privilege to meet up in person & see first hand the impacts of #NationalLottery investment. Finally got to see the delight that is #HeritageFund supported Showtown, an immersive, fun & engaging museum - a true must visit!

An image of the Novelties display at Showtown. A case is mounted in a link surround with a range of words associated with Blackpool in varying fonts and colours. In the case are a range of objects, from comedy glasses to plates and postcards.

A wall with the phrase “it’s better with the lights on” mounted on a yellow hatched wooden frame. The words lights on are white bulbs mounted within pink letters and light up brightly.

The front of the Imperial Hotel Blackpool. A large red and white brick building, with cars parked in front. The sky is grey.

An image from the inside of the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. An ornate ceiling of delicately painted images is surrounded by swirls of plaster and gold gilt. It is lit by many chandeliers.

052

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Unwrapping more unframed items today and came across this sign. My grandad was in the fire brigade at this time and I wish he was around for me to ask about this. The firemen that stopped it consuming the whole building that day in 1956 were heroes. #Blackpool #Collections #ballroom

White wooden sign with pictures of the tower ballroom destroyed by fire and warning of the dangers of smoking cigarettes, the cause of the fire.

050

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

At last all the collections are back in Blackpool 😮‍💨. We still have several weeks of processing and shelving but it’s so good for them to be back. Included in the final deliveries are the unbound programmes, which is great to have back. Here’s a selection from 1943. #Blackpool #collections #ww2

A selection of coloured programme covers laid out on a white table

Front of a storage box with handwritten label: Programmes opera house 1940s - 1960s

020

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Christmas film night with dad. Such a bluesy treat. This Could be the Night (1957) is a real underrated gem of a movie from the impeccable Robert Wise set in a New York nightclub. Julie Wilson’s singing gives stand out moments but the whole cast is superb. youtu.be/_jB9KqVeaUU?...

youtu.be

Julie Wilson in This Could be the Night (1957)

YouTube video by Daniel j. Harris

010

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

British Institute of Mental Science, founded in Blackpool to support practitioners of Astrology Automatic Writing, Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Colours, Crystal Gazing, Graphology, Hygiene, Hypnotism, Magnetic Healing, Mental Healing, Palmistry, Phrenology, Physiognomy, Psychometry and Temperament.👀

Cover of the yearbook of the British institute of mental science 1914. Olive cover with typed contents.

010

Caroline Hall @carolinehistory.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

After 3 days of being off sick with norovirus it’s great to be back. This item is both fascinating and poignant with the fall of the Maginot Line beginning on 10 May 1940 and the show held on the 11th. #blackpool #collections #ww2 #GeorgeRobey

Printed text handbill for the Maginot Line Show on 11 May 1940.

030