Last week we were very lucky to be invited to Getty Images’ 1926 Britain Through a Lens ‘in conversation’ event, which was sponsored by our fabulous clients, D1 London Spirits.
The event was held in Central London with Hugh Pinney, Vice President of Editorial Content and Matthew Butson, Vice President of the Hulton Archive. It discussed how the images in Getty’s latest collection had all been printed by hand from the original glass plate negatives.
They reveal Britain in the year that HM Queen Elizabeth II was born, illustrating both the differences and similarities between Britain today and 90 years ago. As well as paying tribute to The Queen, who celebrated her 90th birthday this month, the exhibition also hails the work of the photographers at the time, who, with their awkward and heavy equipment, still managed to provide us with a rich visual legacy to be proud of.
The event research was carried out using the original day books, where each negative was meticulously recorded in longhand and extensive files of prints organised by subject.
Boxes of glass plates were also looked through to identify images of daily life as well as key events from the time.
So brilliant was the way in which the exhibition was presented, that it also paid tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of Getty’s extremely talented darkroom and conservation team.
Don’t miss the chance to see this fantastic exhibition which is on at the Getty Images Gallery in Eastcastle Street near Oxford Circus Tube.
For more information visit: http://www.gettyimagesgallery.com/exhibitions/archive/1926.aspx
