PAST EXHIBITION DISPLAY

John Gay - Portraits in Print

29 July - 3 December 2006
Room 31 - 20th Century Galleries
Showcase display

Vita Sackville-West
by John Gay, 1948

Sir Terence Rattigan
by John Gay, 1949

In the Collection | Photographs taken for The Strand Magazine and Country Fair | Further Links

This display highlights the recent acquisition of a comprehensive archive of the portrait photographs of John Gay (1909-1999).

Celebrated as a photographer of railway stations, graveyards and country scenes, John Gay also took a number of striking portraits of literary personalities for The Strand magazine from 1947 to 1949. This display includes over twenty of these portraits from essays such as 'Mr Rank's young ladies', 'The best-selling authors' and 'The people who make money out of radio'. In-situ portraits of Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, Dylan Thomas, Vita Sackville-West, Terence Rattigan and Gilbert Harding are shown with the original Strand essay page spreads.

Also displayed are six photographs that Gay took for Country Fair in the 1950s, including designer Lucienne Day and the champion rose-grower Harry Wheatcroft. Gay himself was named Country Fair 'Man of the Month' in June 1955 by editors A. G. Street and Macdonald Hastings, who described him as a 'photographer who truly reflects the glories of Country Fair'.

John Gay was born Hans Gohler in Karlsrühe. He left Germany, following Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933, moving to England with his friend Walther Stern and Stern's family, including his sister, the photographer Martha Stern. Settling in Halifax, Yorkshire, Gay found work as a photographer. In 1939 he joined the Pioneer Corps and served with them throughout the Second Word War. Comfortable with English customs and ways, he decided to change his name to John Gay, poet and dramatist, of Beggar's Opera fame. Following his marriage to Marie Arnheim in 1942, the couple settled in Highgate, London. It was here that Gay based himself as a professional photographer whose work encompassed the photo-essays in The Strand and regular contributions to Country Fair.

His black and white topographical photographs are published in six books and collections of his non-portrait work are held at the National Monuments Record (5000 photographs of geographical, agricultural and architectural interest) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (photographs of ironwork).

Further Links

- In the Collection: Portraits by Martha Stern
- National Monuments Records website
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

Go to a large print, text-only version of this site

All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 06 October 2008