Arthur Henri Poole - Group : commissioned by Dr. Shorten, Magazine Ed, Cork

To end the week today we have a charming group photograph from Mr. Poole. Dr. Shorten must have been an important client if he was a magazine editor? Three of the prettiest girls you have ever seen with a boy who is the head cut off his father make up the children with the proud parents behind!..And so sharon.corbet ( /photos/scorbet/ ) and Bernard Healy ( /photos/bernardhealy/ ) did the lion's share of research on the family pictured. Bernard's summary suggests (and we have every reason to believe the suggestion to be correct) that this is Dr William James Shorten - possibly ex-Royal Army Medical Corps. He/they were living in Duncannon, County Wexford around the time this photo was taken - which would explain the south-east/Poole studio connection. The Shorten family seem to have spent at least several years in Cork city (with at least two of the kids born there). Which would explain the Cork connection. See Bernard's excellent summary in the comments for more information on the children believed to be pictured (Maureen, John, Gladys Kathleen and EIleen), on Mrs Shorten (Kathleen nee O'Brien) and on the investigative thought process :) .......Photographer: A. H. Poole..Collection: Poole Photographic Studio, Waterford ( http://catalogue.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=A.H.+Poole&type=Author&sort=title&view=grid ) ..Date: c.27 August 1920..NLI Ref: POOLEWP 2868a ( vtls000593417 ) ..You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie</a.