Bill Brandt took this photograph of Londoners sheltering in Liverpool Street underground station at the height of the Blitz. Taken on 12th November 1940, it formed part of Brandt's official commission to record life and conditions in the underground air raid shelters used by Londoners. In this photo rows of people settle down for the night in the disused and incomplete sections of the Central line extension. Brandt captures the atmosphere he described as 'intermingled bodies, with the hot, smelly air and continual murmur of snores'.
Brandt began taking his photographs early in November 1940, carrying out a a series of night-time visits to shelters all over London. The day following this photograph, however, Brandt fell ill and had to give up his commission. The series was completed by other unrecorded photographers and in total 180 photographs were taken. These, together with the survey undertaken by the Ministry of Information at the same time, form a unique insight into life in the shelters during World War II.
