Uncovered Photos from Suitcase Reveal Early 20th Century

The suitcase had not been opened for 90 years.

A supplied image obtained on Jan. 13, 2024, shows reserves on the British western front during WWI. A collection of photos has been unearthed in NSW, taken by the "father of ventriloquism," showing scenes across the first world war, Europe and Africa. AAP Image/Supplied by Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers, Thomas Frederick Parnell

A suitcase left unopened in an Australian family home for 90 years has unveiled images from another world, as a ventriloquist’s archive comes to light.

English journalist Thomas Frederick Parnell, better known by his stage name Frederick Russell, became “the father of modern ventriloquism” after trading journalism for the stage in the late 19th century.