WE THINK digital photographs are pretty nifty today, but in terms of quality, they don’t begin to compare with the glass negatives taken more than 100 years ago.

The photograph of the Prince of Wales pub, 174-175 Ryde High Street, was taken by William Hogg of Ryde, who produced postcards which he sold from his post office in George Street ­— they are highly sought after by collectors today.

The photograph comes from one of more than 400 of Mr Hogg’s glass negatives now owned by myself and Colin Fairweather.

Each one measures a hefty 17 x 11 cms, 6¾ x 4½ inches in old money, and capture details to a degree that still beats any of today’s digital cameras.

With a good scanner, we can zoom in and reveal the pictures within the picture.

For instance, on the pavement is a poster with a picture of an emaciated horse, headed “England’s Disgrace,” which is advertising “a meeting tonight” of the Dumb Friends League, an organisation set up to care for working horses.

Two minutes on the County Press archive reveals the precise date of the meeting ­— April 18, 1910.

Under the headline ‘The Continental Traffic in Horses’ the packed meeting was told by the Mayor: “We have very few cases of cruelty before the bench.

“This meeting wishes to put an end to the traffic in aged and worn out horses, which is a blot on our nation.”

Mrs Bradshaw, for the league, said: “50,000 horses were annually sent out of the country.

“We had been blaming the Belgian government but we should blame ourselves because if we did not export these animals for food the foreigners could not buy them (hear, hear).

“We English, who pose as humanitarians, are responsible for this traffic.

“Many of the horses were old pit ponies who had been condemned from infancy to spend their lives underground.

“We are responsible for the horrible tortures that went on. A great deal of the horseflesh was sent back to England in the form of sausages and other preparations.

“I honour those farmers who refuse to sell their horses for this disgraceful traffic.”

Mrs Bradshaw sat down to much applause, but four years later, things were no better for horses.

In December 1914, when the First World War had been going for only 12 weeks, the County Press reported that Mr Batt of Shanklin, a veterinary surgeon well known on the Island, had written to Miss Wyndham of the Dumb Friends League and said: “I arrived in France on October 15 as veterinary officer to the 32nd Brigade RFA.

“Already I have humanely destroyed more than 200 horses that had been wounded beyond repair.

“Poor creatures, they have suffered terribly.

“Only yesterday I had nine horses killed and 11 wounded by one German shell.

“Five were killed outright and four I immediately destroyed.

“I am going to ask if the Dumb Friends League would send me a humane killer, which would be most useful and lessen much suffering.”

Over the next four years, two million British and American horses were sent to the front ­— just 20,000 returned.

Ironically, the Dumb Friends League billboard shared the pavement with one for Pearce’s Coaches, then horse-drawn.

Pearce’s went over to motor coaches at the beginning of the First World War and trading as White Heather Luxury Tours carried on into the ‘60s from their Simeon Street garage.

On the left of the photo, at 173 High Street was Mr Stevenson the butcher, who traded in Ryde for more than 20 years ­— his open display of carcasses wouldn’t go down well today with those who don’t want to be reminded where their lamb chop comes from.

At number 176 was ‘Dimmicks, Nurseryman,’ also with shops in Victoria Street, West Street and Upton Road.

In a 1906 County Press advert he was advertising for sale 50,000 fruit trees, including apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs, nectarines, raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries.

As to the pub itself, eight weeks before the photo was taken it was having licensing problems.

The owner, Henry Sweetman, who ran a successful brewery in George Street, was having trouble finding a manager for the pub.

The magistrates’ bench, who issued licence renewals, preferred tenants and were debating whether or not to renew the licence.

As the County Press reported on February 19, 1910: ‘’The magistrates reminded Mr Sweetman that the licence had been transferred to him on the understanding that it was temporary.

“Mr Sweetman said the bench made it exceedingly difficult for him.

“He was endeavouring to get a new tenant because the late tenant was not conducting his house in a proper way.

“He had been unable to find one because recent methods of dealing with public houses had made it exceedingly difficult to get a tenant to take on licensed premises.

“People refused to come forward and invest money in property which they considered had no stability.

“He had had this particular house viewed by 30 or 40 possible tenants, but they all said that they could not run the risk of becoming licence holders, although they were willing to come in as managers.

“The magistrates deliberated in private and on their return the mayor said the bench strongly disapproved of the carrying on of public-houses under management but in view of the situation the licence would be granted.”

All that in just one picture!