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Humphrey Spender

(1910-2005), Photographer, artist and designer

Sitter in 3 portraits
Artist of 15 portraits
Photojournalist and artist Humphrey Spender, brother of the writer Stephen Spender, made his reputation in the 1930s, taking photographs of housing conditions in London's East End. He travelled in Germany with Christopher Isherwood and designed the cover for Isherwood's book, Goodbye to Berlin (1939). Between 1937 and 1938, he worked for the Mass-Observation project, which aimed to record the lives of ordinary people. Spender took over 900 photographs in Bolton, a series called Worktown. He later joined the staff of Picture Post and served as an official photographer during the Second World War.

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Humphrey Spender, by John Banting - NPG 6922

Humphrey Spender

by John Banting
oil on canvas, circa 1934
NPG 6922

Humphrey Spender, by Jan Siegieda - NPG x8516

Humphrey Spender

by Jan Siegieda
bromide print, 1978
NPG x8516

Humphrey Spender, by Steve Pyke - NPG x26063

Humphrey Spender

by Steve Pyke
bromide fibre print, 1984
NPG x26063

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