Search the Collection

Monte Fresco

(1936-2013), Photographer

Sitter associated with 1 portrait
Artist associated with 3 portraits

1 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Make a donation Close

ListThumbnail

Comments back to top

We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.

If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.

Carl Dodd

10 April 2021, 13:27

My name is Carl Dodd. In 1975 Myself and Susan Cheeseborough won the first Gymnastic Daily Mirror Scholarship at Crystal Palace, which took us to Vladimir in Russia for 1 month. Monte came over to photograph us while we were there during both our Training sessions and while Travelling around during our stay which was quite spectacular, especially for two young Gymnast.
I must say Monte has always left an imprint in me that I can't quite explain. He was a very special Man, who was interested in you as an individual. Full of fun and freely shared his experiences of his life up to that point with me, which I found most interesting.
I feel very honoured to have met him. He certainly made our experience very special and I will always remember him for that..
Many Thanks to Monte Fresco The Man.

Matthew Fresco

13 April 2018, 15:14

Monte Fresco MBE (14 February 1936 – 5 December 2013) was an English photographer noted for humorous photographs of sporting events. He covered seven World Cups, many European Championships and more than 40 FA Cup Finals, and Wimbledon Championships.

He said in an interview:

What makes a great football picture? Being in the right place with the right lens and… luck! After a working lifetime in sport for a national newspaper, with 80% of my time spent concentrating on football, I know that I have been very, very lucky. For me it was always about 'Incidents'. I was always looking for an incident that had gone unnoticed, something off the ball, something to make the reader stop and take a second look and think "I didn't see that!"

He followed his uncle Monty Fresco, an award-winning cameraman with the Daily Mail, into sports photography. His nephew, Michael Fresco, has carried on the family tradition as a Fleet Street sports photographer.

Fresco was a member of the Sports Journalist Association and one of the SJA's most renowned members. His career spanned 50 years as a top sports photographer, including three decades at the Daily Mirror. The Sports Journalists' Association made the annual presentation of the Doug Gardner Award for services to sports journalism to him.

Fresco was brought up in London's East End the son of a tailor. He was evacuated at an early age and poorly educated leaving school at 14 years of age. He joined Topical Press in the 1950s as a runner boy, then went on to become a dark room photographic printer in Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, while covering bigger sporting events evenings and weekends (obtaining entrance to venues was much easier in those days).

On his 18th birthday Topical made him a "Junior Photographer". When Topical Press closed he moved onto International News Photos, part of the American Hearst Corporation covering all assignments. When INP merged with Planet News he was offered a photographer's position. Ted Taylor, boss of INP, had recommended him to the Daily Mirror, where they made him a salaried freelance photographer for almost a year.

Taken on the staff of the Mirror in 1958, he went on to become chief sports photographer for 30 years. His work included the iconic image of Vinnie Jones getting to grips with Paul Gascoigne in midfield. He moved on in 1988 (during the Maxwell era) joining Bob Thomas Sports Photography as director/photographer, still covering major sporting events worldwide. Later this was merged with Popperfoto.com. He was invested with an MBE in October 1995 for 'Services to Sports Photography'. He retired in 2004.

His famous photographs include:

Vinnie Jones tackling Paul Gascoigne off the ball. The photograph can be found on T-shirts and coffee cups and has been used in several advertising campaigns, most recently by BT.
Dave Mackay when he broke the same leg twice. He first broke the leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a European cup-tie and the second time at home to Shrewsbury Town reserves. The photograph is still a best seller to Spurs fans.
Dave Mackay grabbing Leeds United's Billy Bremner by his shirt at White Hart Lane in 1966 after he had been heavily tackled in his comeback match after breaking his leg a second time. It remains the most popular of all Tottenham action photographs.
Monte is known on Fleet Street to this day for his sense of humour and for turning sports photography into a distinct discipline separate from news photography within the print media. He coined the terms "Smudger" (a photographer) and "Blunt Nib" (writer).

Jonathan Fresco

02 April 2018, 16:52

Monte Fresco was born 14th February 1936, died 5th December 2013.