London street photography

London Street Photography

Until 4 September 2011, FREE entry

Street photographs are at the heart of our understanding of London as a diverse and dynamic capital. They are characterised by an element of chance - a fortunate encounter, a fleeting expression, a momentary juxtaposition, capturing an ever-changing city.

This major new exhibition at the Museum of London showcases anextraordinary collection of London street photography with over 200 candid images of everyday life in the street. From sepia-toned scenes of horse-drawn cabs taken on bulky tripod-mounted cameras to 21st century Londoners digitally ‘caught on film’, explore how street photography has evolved from 1860 to the present day. Examine the relationship between photographers, London’s streets and the people wholive on them, and reflect on the place of photography on London’s streets today as anti-terrorism and privacy laws grow ever tighter.

Click on the thumbnails below to view full size versions of some of the images in the exhibition:

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Planning your visit

Please note that due to the popularity of this exhibition, a timed ticketing system will be in operation during weekendsand school holidays.

Tickets can be collected from the Museum front desk on arrival, tickets cannot be prebooked. Entry to the exhibition remains free, please allow extra time for your visit.

London Street Photography brings together the works of 59 photographers including:

Valentine Blanchard experimented with a small-format stereoscopic camera in 1860s London to produce the firstphotographs of busy city streets in which everything in motion was arrested in sharp definition. 

John Thomson produced a ground-breaking survey of London’s poor with the publication of Street Life in London in 1877. 

Paul Martin pioneered candid street photography in London when, in the early 1890s, he began using a camera disguised as a parcel to photograph people unawares.

HoraceNicholls was an early independent press photographer whose candid photographs of well-to-do Edwardians at leisure are particularly revealing.

Wolf Suschitzky came to London from Vienna in 1935 and began a personal project to photograph the life of Charing Cross Road, both day and night

Roger Mayne sought to record a way of life as he photographed a rundown area of North Kensington before it wasredeveloped in the 1960s. Mayne became a familiar figure as he hung around the streets, camera at the ready.

Henry Grant was a freelance photojournalist with a profound interest in the everyday lives of ordinary peoples. He photographed London’s changing streets from the 1950s to the 1980s

Paul Trevor moved to Brick Lane in the East End in the early 1970s and photographed life on the street almostevery day for the next 10 years. His photographs are a unique record of the area before large-scale immigration and gentrification wrought their changes

Paul Baldesare frequents London’s busy shopping streets, looking for remarkable gestures and expressions by individuals going about their everyday lives.

Nils Jorgensen is a professional news and celebrity photographer who always has hiscamera to hand to capture street images in between assignments.

Stephen McLaren seeks out quirky and colourful street images, while also leading a career directing and producing for television. He is co-author of the book Street Photography.

Nick Turpin is a great advocate for contemporary street photography, founding the In-Public collective in 2000 as well as a publishing company to promotethe genre.

London Street Photography runs until 4 September 2011 and entry is FREE.

London Street Photography Metro competition

In conjunction with Metro (external link) offered the chance to create your own street photography image and win an Apple iPad along with a chance to see your work on display at the Museum of London!

This competition is now closed, winners will be announced...