BILL BRANDT

Bill Brandt (1904-1983) is widely considered to be one of the most important British photographers of the 20th century, documenting all levels of British society. In the late 1930s, working as a photojournalist for Picture Post, Brandt photographed the industrial cities and coal-mining districts of northern England, creating images that reveal the plight of England’s industrial workers during the 1930s. When World War II began, Brandt became a staff photographer for the British Home Office, capturing Londoners crowded into air-raid shelters in the city’s underground train stations.

JOHN CHILLINGWORTH

John Chillingworth joined Picture Post in 1943 and his talent was quickly recognised by the Picture Post’s editor at the time, Tom Hopkinson (1905-1990). After three years of National Service, he rejoined the magazine as a photographer, mentored by Kurt Hutton (1893-1960), and over the next six years he was to create a number of memorable, sensitive images. Developing a naturalistic style, he mastered the art of remaining unobtrusive while taking his photographs, which helped in creating his notable and moving series of picture essays of children in post-war Korea and Japan.

Chillingworth, John. “A Modern Greek Fairy Story.” Picture Post, 10 Mar. 1956

Chillingworth, John. “Britain Gets Ahead in Tanks.” Picture Post, 1 Nov. 1952

Chillingworth, John. “Give this Boy a Break.” Picture Post, 30 May 1953

Batchelor, Denzil, and John Chillingworth. “Mademoiselle Daredevil.” Picture Post, 21 Nov. 1953

BERT HARDY

Bert Hardy (1913-1995) was the Staff Photographer for the Picture Post from 1941 to 1957. Hardy was a self-taught photographer, and is pictures of the Blitz were among the finest taken by any cameraman. He was with the Allied troops that took part in the D-Day landings in June 1944, and also photographed the liberation of Paris. He followed the troops into Germany and took photographs of the Bergen-Belsen, showing the public the horrors of the camp. Back in Britain after the war he moved into photographing the social scene, particularly life from the underside.

Hardy, Bert, and Fyfe Robertson. “An American Invasion.” Picture Post, 31 July 1948

Hardy, Bert, and A. L. A. “Christian Commandos Strike Again.” Picture Post, 3 May 1947

Hardy, Bert. “Hunting Seals in Norfolk.” Picture Post, 6 Mar. 1948

Hardy, Bert, and Brian Dowling. “I Want to Be a Nurse.” Picture Post, 31 Oct. 1953

THURSTON HOPKINS

Godfrey Thurston Hopkins (1913-2014) photographed a variety of subjects, produced in response to the needs of various editors. After studying graphic illustration, Hopkins decided he wanted to join the Picture Post after serving in World War II, where he often encountered copies of the Picture Post. Starting as a freelancer, he joined the staff in 1950, and remained there until the end of the magazine in 1957. His typical subjects are people caught in their typical social environment. In a varied career, Hopkins also did illustration and teaching, before settling on painting toward the end of his life.

Allsop, Kenneth, and Thurston Hopkins. “A Sinister Time was Had by All.” Picture Post, 29 Jan. 1955

Hopkins, Thurston. “It’s the New French Line.” Picture Post, 3 Dec. 1955

Hopkins, Thurston. “Maybreak on the Cherwell.” Picture Post, 17 May 1952

Hopkins, Thurston. “Two Girls and a Sleeper Van.” Picture Post, 7 Aug. 1954

KURT HUTTON

Kurt Hutton (1893-1960, originally Hübschmann) was one of several Germans working at Picture Post, and one of the founding members of the magazine. After working in Germany for the Dephot Agency in the early 1930s, Hutton emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1934 and began working for Weekly Illustrated. He helped introduce the Leica to Britain, shooting some of the most enduring images of the era on a camera derided by many of his peers.

Hutton, K, et al. “A Deaf Child Learns to Speak.” Picture Post, 3 Apr. 1948

Hutton, K., et al. “Atom Village.” Picture Post, 8 Dec. 1945

Hutton, K. “Science Leaves the Lab.” Picture Post, 24 Sept. 1949

Hutton, K. “What Future for the Middle Classes?” Picture Post, 6 Mar. 1948

FELIX MAN

One of the pioneers of modern photojournalism, Felix Man (1893-1985) contributed more than half the photographs in the first issue of Picture Post. Man was regarded as a diverse and flexible photographer, covering stories from farmyard workers to eminent politicians including Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Man’s subject matter was never confined to the documentary, his interests ranging from portraiture, fashion, and theatre, though his most famous photographs are of Benito Mussolini in the vast auditorium.

Man, Felix H. “A Move for Peace in a Troubled World.” Picture Post, 8 Nov. 1947

Man, Felix. “London’s Health Ship.” Picture Post, 11 Oct. 1947

Man, Felix H. “The Jubille City.” Picture Post, 29 Oct. 1955

Man, Felix H. “What the Camera Sees.” Picture Post, 11 Dec. 1948

GRACE ROBERTSON

As a woman, Grace Robertson (1930-) had access to many subjects closed to a man, including women helping one another to wash at a Turkish bath, girls getting ready for a party, and a woman gave birth. One of her most iconic photos is of two women laughing as they try to hold their skirts down on a rollercoaster, deliberately echoing a picture taken 18 years earlier by a fellow Picture Post photographer, Kurt Hutton. Her photography career began in 1950, when she had her first story published in the Picture Post, the photographs taken on a camera given to her by her father the previous year.

“Ladies’ Jurkish Baths.” Picture Post, 1 Dec. 1951

Mitchell, David. “Shearing Time in Snowdonia.” Picture Post, 11 Aug. 1951

“The Children Learn as They Get Well.” Picture Post, 27 Nov. 1954

Marchant, Hilde. “Theirs is a War-time Christmas.” Picture Post, 27 Dec. 1952

ANNE SCOTT-JAMES

Anne Eleanor Scott-James, Lady Lancaster (1913-2009) was one of Britain’s first female career journalists, who began her career at Vogue in 1934. At the outbreak of World War II, she joined the Picture Post, serving as the Women’s Editor from 1941 to 1945. During her time there, she explored how women’s lives were changed by the war, both domestically and socially, ranging from cooking with rations to women working in the factories. After her tenure at the Picture Post, she moved to Harper’s Bazaar, released her first novel in 1952, and became a columnist for the Daily Mail, before leaving journalism in the 1960s.

Scott-james, Anne. “A Baby in Wartime?” Picture Post, 12 Apr. 1941

Scott-james, Anne. “Making Democracy Work.” Picture Post, 28 Feb. 1942

Scott-james, Anne. “Recruiting Van Draws Women to War Work.” Picture Post, 6 June 1942

Scott-james, Anne. “Three Families Solve the Food Problem.” Picture Post, 22 Feb. 1941

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