Between 1904 and 1918, a small local high street photography studio run by David Knights-Whittome quietly documented the lives of thousands of ordinary local women during an extraordinary period of history. Whether or not they were conscious of it at the time, the path of all these women’s lives was unimaginably shaped by the seismic events of the period. Changes in fashion, in attitude, in confidence and in self-awareness were visually and markedly documented in the many physical impressions of individuals that were captured on glass and left behind in the shop basement long after his business had disappeared. With funding from the Heritage Lottery, Sutton Archives has been working since 2014 to digitise, catalogue and research these images; finally bringing these women back to the forefront of the Borough’s history and celebrating their lives as we mark the Centenary of The Representation of the People Act 1918 which enabled women to vote in national elections for the very first time.
Also, an evening talk:
‘The Discovery in the Basement‘ Wednesday 18 April – 19:00-20:00
Hidden away for more than 60 years, the Knights-Whittome photographic studio collection was discovered in a shop basement in 1978. Containing over 10,000 negative images on glass plates, this unique pictorial archive contains images of British and European royalty as well as thousands of portraits of soldiers, men, women and children as well as schools, institutions and country houses.
Come to this FREE evening talk at Honeywood Museum by Abby Matthews, Project Officer to find out about the discovery of the, its conservation and its importance to the Borough.
Please email Abby Matthews to book your place or call 020 8770 4746
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