Changing Faces, Hidden Stories: Open studio at Hackney Museum
Dance lessons at Barrie’s on Mare Street in the 50s, Hackney Town Hall weddings in the 60s and family portraits with a 70s flare.
Thousands of images from Hackney photo studio RA Gibson will be on display at a free event at Hackney Museum on Thursday 5 July.
The event will allow people to see photos of Hackney in the 50s, 60s and 70s, never seen before in public. Hackney Council Archivists will be on hand to work with attendees to identify the people in the pictures, and are also encouraging members of the public to bring along their own family photos that were taken by Gibson.
The photos on display were taken between 1952-1978, and give a unique glimpse into the everyday lives and celebrations of Hackney's people over a 26 year period.
Alongside the photos there will also be a pop up Gibson studio where visitors can create their own portraits to share on social media using #RAGibson.
The event will run from 6-7.30pm, it is part of a two year project by Hackney Archives, supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, to digitise thousands of negatives from the studio and to work with the local community to share the stories of the people who feature in the RA Gibson collection of photographs.
The collection illustrates social change in Hackney after the Second World War, and is an extraordinary insight into the lives of everyday people, through Hackney's different cultures, changing fashions and ways of celebrating. We have a unique collection of images, but now we need to put names to the faces and want to hear the stories and experiences that are attached to the photos. I would encourage all residents who think they may have been to Gibson’s studios between the 1950s and 1970s to come along and help uncover Hackney’s history.
After the event a selection of Gibson images will remain on display at Hackney Museum. For information on the RA Gibson collection, or to find out about volunteering opportunities digitising the images visit Hackney Archives in Dalston CLR James Library, call 020 8356 8925 or visit www.hackney.gov.uk/archives.
Changing Faces, Hidden Stories: Open Studio
Hackney Museum
Thursday 5 July
6-7.30pm
The event is free. RSVP to Hackney Archives: archives@hackney.gov.uk / 020 8356 8925 / Eventbrite