August Sander Collection
August Sander
Photographic
One of the great documentary portrait photographers, this collection comes from August Sander's attempt to create a photographic portrait of the German people, developed in the 1920s and 1930s.
Edwardian Portraits
John Lawson
Edwardian Portraits
John Lawson
This collection of Edwardian Portraits was made from a number of glass plate negatives that were found under the floorboards of a house in Whitley Bay.
- Photographic
- Historical Documentary
- Northern Documentary
- Portraits
- UK Documentary
- Historical
- Tyne & Wear
- UK
Edwardian Portraits is a collection of glass plate negatives believed to have been taken by John Lawson Adamson of the Whitley Art Studio in Whitley Bay. Discovered under the floorboards of a house, the photographs date from the early twentieth century. Most are portraits of women, likely made as keepsakes for loved ones serving at the front during the First World War. There are also a number of portraits of children.
What makes the photographs unusual is their simplicity. Unlike much Edwardian portraiture, they do not use painted backdrops or decorative props. This gives the images a stark, quiet beauty, with the focus placed entirely on the subjects. The result is a series of portraits that feel personal and direct.
After the images were found, a woman recognised herself in two of the photographs and wrote to Amber to confirm that the photographer was John Lawson Adamson. She had been photographed at the studio on Whitley Road in both 1910 and 1935. The collection offers a glimpse into everyday lives and personal histories at a time shaped by war.
Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)
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Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-022
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-027
- Date: early 1990s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-012
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-005
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-014
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-016
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-026
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-013
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-018
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-008
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-001
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-009
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-010
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-011
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-024
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-023
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-002
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-025
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-028
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-007
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-020
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-017
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-029
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-019
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-021
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-003
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-006
- Date: Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-004
- Date: Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portrait, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-015
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-036
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-033
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-030
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-034
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-038
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-032
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-039
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-037
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-035
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
Edwardian Portraits, early 1900s
- Ref: CPA-044-031
- Date: early 1900s
- Artist: John Lawson
- Copyright: Public Domain
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