Sunny Snaps: Beach and Street Photography in Britain closed on 31 August 2008. For details of our current exhibitions, take a look at our what’s on page.
This exhibition celebrated the work of a group of photographers largely written out of the history of photography: those who took commercial portraits in the heyday of the British seaside.
Portrait photographers were once a common sight wherever people gathered for leisure or pleasure. Usually ignored and frequently reviled, these itinerant photographers became a figure of ridicule and contempt. Despite their prolific output, they have been largely written out of the history of photography. Sunny Snaps: Beach and Street Photography in Britain sought to redress the balance and celebrate the work of these forgotten photographers.
The story of commercial beach photography mirrors the rise and decline of the British seaside resort. During the nineteenth century, what had been genteel health resorts for the rich became holiday playgrounds for the masses, and photographers used mobile darkrooms to produce cheap ‘while you wait’ portraits for daytrippers. The trend spread, and photographers could be found wherever crowds gathered—from the fairground to the racecourse.
As technology moved on and cameras became more portable, beach photography boomed, with teams of photographers covering every beach and capturing images of people strolling on the promenade, groups posing on the sand, or swimmers taking the plunge. As competition increased, beach photographers adopted a number of gimmicks, some even using live monkeys as props.
Ultimately, holidays abroad became more affordable and photography moved from specialist art to everyday pastime, making the beach photographer obsolete. However, they left behind a valuable record of Britons on holiday and families having fun, from the late Victorian period to the mid-20th century.
