What A Difference An "E" Makes

 

A new batch of Victorian and Edwardian Carte de Visites dropped through my letterbox the other day and amongst them was this fabulous little photograph. Whilst most of such random purchases can only be captioned “unknown sitter”, this particular one had the addition of a pencilled name and date on the back. The date was 1903 and the name was Daisy Ling, age 15. The only element of doubt was whether there was a final “e” at the end of the surname - where we looking at Daisy Ling or Daisy Linge?

The name was relatively unusual and it was easy to calculate a year of birth. We also know that the studio was in London so we were able to have a good guess at the place of birth, and therefore the census records was the next stop.

Daisy Ling was easy enough to find, the daughter of a labourer living in the East End of London. By 1911 she was living and working as a barmaid at the Boleyn Tavern on Barking Road, East Ham. At that point I got diverted down a side street which was the history of this magnificent pub which is still standing to this day. It appears that both Gandhi and Charlie Chaplin were regulars at the pub and it is just possible that Daisy Ling served both of them.

With that wonderful image in my mind I then decided to check whether there was a Daisy Linge who would fit the bill, and indeed there was. Both Daisy’s were born in London in the same year, but Daisy Linge with an “e” came from slightly better circumstances. Her father was a police constable and she became an assistant teacher before marrying and emigrating to Canada. She did eventually return to England when she was in her 60s and died in October 1964 back in London.

Two Daisy’s, two very different lives. What a difference an “e” makes.