Brian Griffin – St Pancras

Brian Griffin has been working on producing, for his client London and Continental Railways, what he believes could be the most substantial corporate book of photographs since the Great Exhibition of 1851, featuring approximately 165 subjects over 208 pages.

 

Brian Griffin - Workers

After working extensively for Rosehaugh Stanhope, photographing the construction of Broadgate in the City Of London, Brian Griffin was commissioned to photograph a Broadgate subject of his choice. At the time he was mourning the loss of his father through industrial pollution. He believes he has always treated the worker with dignity and on this occasion photographed the worker not unlike a Knight lying in state in some cathedral.

Or as a statue.

The photographs can be found in his book ‘Work’.

Found this picture on the Guardian site.   The photographer is unknown, but the picture was taken in 1889 of the building of London’s underground system, showing the construction of the Central line. It opened in July 1900.

Photograph: Unknown photographer/The British Library

Photographers who Photographed Workers

Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt published The English at Home (1936) and A Night in London (1938), which examined British life, particularly its class system and behaviour.  His Parlourmaid and Underparlourmaid Ready to Serve Dinner (1932-35) is full of astute social observation.

Tina Modotti

Tina Modotti came into her own in Mexico,  photographing with a concern for injustice in society.

Gordon Parkes

Gordon Parkes photographed the life and work of Ella Watson, an office cleaner.

Paul Wombell

In the 1970s, Paul Wombell commented on this construct in a photomontage, which contrasted the fantasy tourist world with the reality of Britain’s poorly paid workers who had come from Asia, Africa and the West Indies, many of whom performed menial labour whites were no longer willing to do.  Air India (1975) consisted of two photographs placed side by side to form a basic montage. One was an advertisement that appeared regularly in art magazines such as Art & Artists.

(From Photography: A Critical Introduction by Liz Wells and  John A Walker’s Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain)

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe

In the 1890s, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe documented the village of Whitby as both fishing village and a holiday resort over a long period of time.  His work drew on the picturesque qualities of much of the labour involved, but also added new qualities of directness and close observation (Wells, 2004:80).

Humphrey Spender

Humphrey Spender photographed workers in the 1950s, depicting workers doing their jobs.  These pictures are from Getty Images.