I came across this evocative picture today and had to stop and seek out others. This is one of the great Bert Hardy photographs and all are well worth a browse.
Bert Hardy was born in Southwark before the Great War and was to become famous for his work in 'Picture Post' magazine during the 40's and 50's. Before the days of TV news reporting came from short 'Pathe' or 'Gaumont' newsreels in local cinema's, the only alternative fro those seeking pictures was magazines like the 'Picture Post,' a magazine that brought many famous photographers to fame.
Bert took many pictures around London offering a view of the people he grew up amongst. During the war he even climbed to the top of one of those long fireman's ladder to photograph the inside of burning buildings during the blitz. This was the first time his name was added to the pictures, usually the photographer's name was omitted. His pictures, clearly some posed, do offer a caring view of Londoners at the time.
'Picture Post' began to slide after the war when television began to arrive. There was also trouble from an article by James Cameron accompanied by Hardy photographs taken in Korea during the war there. This did not give a one sided view of the conflict and indicated one side was as bad a the other. Soon afterwards the editor departed and sales began to drop. By 1957 the magazine folded but TV was then dominant in the land.
Hardy served time in the army as a war photographer landing in France on D-Day and eventually reaching Belsen. He then went to the Far East. After the war he returned to the magazine until the end and for a while dallied with advertising pictures but in 1964 he retired and became a farmer. Hardy died in 1995.
Bert Hardy was one of the great documentary photographers, few can match him. His black and white pictures, taken often in dangerous places, will catch the eye for many years to come. It is a shame there are so few books around filled with his pictures.
