Probably taken in the late 1880s/early 1890s, this evocative photograph shows the Canning Half-Tide Dock when it was still the era of the sailing ship. In the background is the Custom House, built in 1839 on the site of Liverpool’s historic Old Dock. To the right, and dating from 1878, is the Albert Dock complex’s Hydraulic Pumping Station, now the Pumphouse pub.

 The image was one of many taken in the Liverpool area by Scottish photographers James Valentine & Sons; although James died in 1879, his two sons carried on the business. Their great rivals were Liverpool photographer Francis Frith and another Scottish photographer, George Washington Wilson. Some of their work will be showcased in future “Images of the Week”.