The Essential Photo Books About Londoners
At 1000 Londoners, as we produce our short documentaries about life in London, we’re inevitably drawn to look at the ways that the city’s been represented in the past. We therefore LOVE documentary photography. London's rich tapestry of life has been meticulously documented through the lenses of numerous photographers, each capturing the essence of its inhabitants in unique ways.
As we revisit the work of Clive Boursnell this week, it seemed right to celebrate the photo book. The following list contains ten exceptional photo books that show the lives of Londoners, shedding light on hidden facets of the city, its heritage, and its diverse communities. This is an entirely subjective list, built if you like 1000 Londoners, these will be right up your street.
Ten Incredible Photo Books about Londoners
1. Old Covent Garden by Clive Boursnell
Clive Boursnell's has been photographing Covent Garden for 50 years. Old Covent Garden stands as a poignant tribute to one of London's most iconic marketplaces. Through his lens, Boursnell captures the vibrant atmosphere of Covent Garden before its moved to Nine Elms in the early 1970s. The photographs offer an intimate glimpse into the daily lives of traders, shoppers, and passersby, preserving moments of a bygone era. This collection not only showcases the market's bustling environment but also reflects the resilience and spirit of the community that thrived there.
© Clive Boursnell
Clive is still photographing Covent Garden Market to this day, and we’re proud to have Clive as one of our Londoners. You can check out his film below. We also caught up with him recently as he photographed the redeveloped Nine Elms.
2. Street Life in London by John Thomson and Adolphe Smith
Published in 1878, "Street Life in London" is a seminal work that presents a vivid portrayal of Victorian London's street dwellers.
Photographer John Thomson and journalist Adolphe Smith collaborated to document the lives of the city's poor and working-class citizens with words and images, and they published their content as weekly part work - a bit like a 19th Century 1000 Londoners. Their work is considered one of the first examples of social documentary photography, offering invaluable insights into the socio-economic conditions of the time. The book's compassionate approach humanizes its subjects, providing a window into the challenges and resilience of 19th-century Londoners.
3. London. Portrait of a City edited by Reuel Golden
Our goal at 1000 Londoners is to create a contemporary portrait of the city through documentary video. London, Portrait of a City is a comprehensive visual journey through London's history, capturing its evolution from the Victorian era to the modern day. Edited by Reuel Golden, the book features works from renowned photographers such as Cecil Beaton, David Bailey, and Martin Parr. Each image encapsulates the city's dynamic spirit, from its architectural marvels to the diverse populace that defines its character. It’s big and very accessible guide through London photography.
4. Don't Call Me Urban!: The Time of Grime by Simon Wheatley
Photo books are a funny thing. The ones that people love either get reprinted forever, or, as with Simon Wheatley's "Don't Call Me Urban!" never get reprinted and just end up costing more and more. It’s only 14 years old and copies are selling for hundreds of pounds! It’s over £140 on Amazon. This is a fantastic collection of photos that delves into the early 2000s grime scene. Through raw and unfiltered imagery, Wheatley captures the lives of young artists and residents navigating a landscape marked by creativity and adversity. The photographs reflect the gritty reality of urban life while highlighting the resilience and innovation of a generation that reshaped British music culture. If the book is too pricy for you, check out Simon’s work on his website.
© Simon Wheatley
5. Soho Night and Day by Frank Norman and Jeffrey Bernard
This evocative photobook transports readers to the heart of Soho during the 1960s, a time when the area was synonymous with bohemian culture and nightlife. Through the collaboration of writer Frank Norman and photographer Jeffrey Bernard, the book captures the vibrancy and eccentricity of Soho's inhabitants. The black-and-white images, accompanied by insightful commentary, offer a nostalgic glimpse into a neighborhood that has undergone significant transformation over the decades.
6. Drivers in the 80s by Chris Dorley-Brown
We’ve mentioned this book before and we’ll mention it again. It’s a fantastic slice of life from a former era. An accidental shoot that led to a great collection that only looks better as each year passes. Those clever people at Hoxton Mini-press collected them into a wonderful book that’s out of print on their site, but readily available second hand
© Chris Dorley-Brown
7 Another London - Tate Britain
A great collection of images of London over the years, and it just happens to be the catalogue of the exhibition that our Londoner Yvonne talks about in her film. A photograph of Yvonne, her husband and her daughter appeared in this exhibition. It was a street photo taken by Mario de Biasi in the 1960s that Yvonne didn’t even know existed. It’s a collection of the work of great photographers including Eve Arnold, Dorothy Bohm, Bill Brandt, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Bruce Davidson, Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, Leonard Freed, Emil Hoppe,Inge Morath, Dora Maar, Irving Penn, Willy Ronis and Al Vandenberg.
8. Stall Time by Tony Kearns
"Stall Time" is a collection of photographs taken by Tony Kearns between 1987 and 1994, focusing on London's traditional street markets like Camden, Berwick Street, Brixton, and Columbia Road. Kearns captures moments where time seems to stall, featuring stallholders and customers pausing amid the bustling market scene. His work showcases the timeless and unlicensed quality of these markets, reflecting the character and evolution of London's street life.
9. On The Night Bus by Nick Turpin
The idea was right in front of us all the time - to take documentary portraits through the windows of a night bus. How come nobody came up with it before? What makes Nick Turpin’s collection so incredible is the way that he has taken the mundane and elevated it to the sublime. The impressionistic blur of the perspex windows and condensation gives a dreamy feel, and the heightened colours make every frame feel painterly. This is a precious book that's tragically out of print on Hoxton Mini-Press and, like Don’t Call Me Urban, it’s entered that super-expensive second hand market. Can’t they just do a reprint? If you’ve got extremely large amounts of money you can pick up a copy on Amazon. Or failing that you can moon over the images on Nick Turpin’s website.
© Nick Turpin
10. Cafe Royal Books
If the very mention of a photobook conjures up the image of a big glossy hardback ( the kind that you’d give for a present) then you need to check out Cafe Royal Books. They are different, and wonderful for it. They’re released weekly (yes, weekly!) in limited editions, with a style so defined, simple and formal that they make early Penguin paperbacks feel rococo in comparison. You don’t need an easel to open one, and you don’t need to be worried about breaking their backs, they’re just 36 pages of brilliant documentary photography.
That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. They’re so small and simple that they make Hoxton Mini-press look decadent. Go onto their site and buy one. You’ll get a lovely little package that will lift your spirits and it won’t even cost you a tenner. And since they’re about a fifth of the price of many other photobooks, we’re recommending five.
Chris Steele-Perkins —Brixton 1973-1975
Chris Miles — Notting Hill Carnival 1974
Robert Blomfield — London 1960s
Roger Taylor — Petticoat Lane London 1966
Virginia Turbett — New Romantics London 1980–81
Vron Ware — The Black People’s Day of Action 02.03.1981
Hundreds of outputs, looking at different aspects of British society? This is a publisher after our own heart.
And then, when you’ve finished with all of the still images, check out short documentary films about London, here at 1000 Londoners
And of course, when you’ve seen enough still images of Londoners, and have a hankering to see them moving around and talking, come right back to 1000 Londoners. You’ll find hundreds of films, produced by London’s best video production company, Chocolate Films, based at the friendliest video studio in London: Nine Elms Studio.
