Couple taking afternoon tea in the garden, 1951.

A photograph by Photographic Advertising Limited. This photograph of a sunny afternoon in an English garden was sold to the magazine 'Home Notes', as well as being used to promote British National Savings Certificates. At first glance the man seems to be handing the cup to his wife, but her hand is on the teapot so she has just poured the tea, as women were traditionally expected to do. Photographic Advertising Limited was founded in 1926 by a group experienced in photojournalism and film. The company created multi-purpose stock images with the potential for selling a range of products. Whilst enjoying its greatest success during the 1930s, it continued in business until 1977. Photographic Advertising Limited's trademark, the staged studio photograph resembling a film still, was its selling point and, later, its downfall. Sophisticated, adaptable and generic, this kind of image gradually fell out of favour as clients increasingly demanded targeted advertising campaigns with specifi