Why Marigolds - changing the image ( dustjacket design 2 )

So, where to start....

I want to convey how the life of a servant changed as the twentieth century progressed but have limited access to actual images taken ....no bank of National Trust images to drawn on!! 

So, how about inserting an object(s) into the original image which reflect / indicate how outside factors changed the world that servants inhabited and the work that they did. My paternal grandmother was described as a general servant in the 1911 census so would have done a great deal of housework such as cleaning.  
Looking at the original black and white photo and wanting to convey an over emphasised sense of period to enable a contrast image to be inserted drawn from a later period.

P617

In the image above (P617), I have changed the colour from black and white to a more 'antique' look and removed the creases in the cardboard mount; I also increased the contrast and clarity.This provides the 'feel' of history I'm looking for.

Next step is finding suitable 'contrast' images....

P618

Why Marigold gloves? These are a popular choice these days for protecting hands from the wear and tear of 'wet' housework and we know from reading Lethbridge's book that sore, chapped hands were a common problem for servants working in sculleries etc. They are also recognisably bright yellow.The timescale fits as I discovered that they were invented in the 1950s by the J.Allen Rubber Company based in Gloucestershire !! 
However, I discovered that the gloves alone did not work sufficiently well ..they could be thought to be just gloves even yellow gloves. So I added in a very obvious and distinctively coloured cleaning spray to highlight the cleaning technology aspect further...

So far so good....now I need to combine the images to see whether these ideas work at all.