A public portfolio
photographs of London by Henry Grant
Wednesday 10 January - Tuesday 27 March 2001

This display of photographs depicted London in the 1950s and 1960s. They were taken by Henry Grant, one the most distinguished photographers in post-war Britain.

These compelling black and white photographs capture Londoners of all ages as they go about their daily lives. They provide an intriguing record of the massive social changes that took place as Britain moved from post-war austerity to the freedom of the 1960s. Taken in streets, parks, homes, hospitals and schools, Henry Grant's photographs witness the beginnings of the National Health Service and the Welfare State, developments in education and immigration, the appearance of London's first high-rise buildings, as well as political and social campaigns such as the peace movement and the CND.

The pictures on display were selected from the Museum's archive of 80,000 photographs acquired from the photographer in 1986.