London Street Photography 1860-2010 by Mike Seaborne and Anna Sparham

This book contains a selection of images from an exhibition I went to at the Museum of London, which ran from February to September 2011, prior to my starting TAOP.  The introduction investigates the definition of Street Photography, to include elements such as: 

• unposed scenes
• hurmour, fascination, ambiguous, surreal
• decisive moments
• spontaneity

which all concur with the previous book I read on the subject: Street Photography Now.  However, what is interesting about this exhibition and associated publication is that it examines the evolution of the subject and the fact that what we find interesting in photos taken in the 1800s, for example, may not have been what the photographer originally saw.  The introduction continues to describe the techniques and eminent photographers through the decades, the role street photography played in social documentary, and the changes that the Second World War brought about: spurring people on to capture scenes before they disappeared for ever during reconstruction and reshaping, and of course modernisation.  And of course, in the early 21st century, street photography continues to provide an accurate record of life as it is.

I love the older photos; working in London, I find it fascinating to look at buildings that are so familiar to see what they were like 150-odd years ago.  The image on page 12 by Gorge Washington Wilson of the Royal Exchange c. 1875 is a great example of this.  The picture is also interesting because of the ghostly images of the people walking past (must have been shot on a very slow shutter speed?).

People really come to life in the following section 1890-1929; the image on page 27 of children playing in a water trough in Barnet High Street, c. 1900 by an anonymous photographer is interesting - I grew up in Barnet and I remember a water trough (1970s) but not the one in the photo.  Barnet has changed a lot over the years and I'm not able to pinpoint exactly where this image was shot.

Looking through the images of the City, it is interesting to note that the views are indeed still familiar, and also crowded!  The type of vehicles and clothing have obviously changed, but the droves are very reminscient of today.  For instance, the image of London Bridge South Side, c. 1900 on page 29 will seem very real to anyone who has ever tried to walk across the bridge against the masses of people.

Moving into the 1930s, I found the image on page 44 shot in 1936 by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy of a street seller with his barrow in Central London, surprising.  My father (born 1939) told me that he had eaten his first banana after the war, so I was surprised to see them in this pre-war image.  In searching for an image to upload, I found out alot about Moholy-Nagy, includng the fact that his artwork is featured in the current Bauhaus exhibition at the Barbican which closes on 12th August.  I have also seen work by this photographer before at an exhibition I attend at the Royal Academy called "Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th Century", which ran from June-October 2011.  What I also like in this image is the fact that that the four people with faces look as if they have seen the photographer, and have either been deliberately grouped, or they are standing themselves in such a way as to be included in the shot.

As the book takes you further through the decades, I find I have greater affinity with the images naturally, as they start to contain scenery that I can link to my own experiences.  In addition, as the photographers modernise, the elements of humour and absurdity that typify contemporary street photography creep in.  This image on page 106 of Big Ben by Stephen McLaren shot in 2007 is a fantastic record of decisiveness and humour.  I really like the fact that the photographer has not attempted to straighten the image.  In comparison with earlier images, it really illustrates the evolution of street photography.

Some of the images displayed at the exhibition can be viewed at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/8318158/London-street-photography-through-the-ages.html