We need your help! Donate and #SAVESIDE
Images of Youth in Cumbria is a portrait series developed by West Cumbrian photographer John Rigby in the early 1990s, focusing on the lives and identities of young people in the region. Commissioned by Side Gallery in 1990, the project involved students from the FE college where Rigby taught, alongside neighbours, friends and local acquaintances. The portraits were carefully constructed, with subjects encouraged to select their own clothing, settings and poses, shaping how they were represented.
John Rigby was a West Cumbrian photographer whose work offered a quiet, empathetic insight into the communities and landscapes of the region he called home. Often working close to where he lived, Rigby brought a deep attentiveness to the everyday - his photographs combining documentary observation with a strong sense of place and personal connection.
His portraits of youth in early 1990s Cumbria captured the self-presentation and confidence of a generation growing up in post-industrial towns, while earlier work in Workington & Maryport reflected the layered lives of coastal communities adapting to change. From fishermen and coal pickers to carnival performers and dog walkers, Rigby’s photographs remain rooted in lived experience, shaped by both affection and clarity.
He maintained close ties with Side Gallery over many years, his practice standing as a thoughtful and distinctive contribution to the gallery’s commitment to regional documentary.
