A Photographic Ode to British Culture and Identity

2 minute read

In June, Britons voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, surprising the world and even themselves. The most frequent Google search in the U.K. after the vote was “What does it mean to leave the EU?” Britons now face the consequences of their decision and will determine what it says about their country. This future will be informed by the country’s past – one that has been photographed extensively by the likes of E.O. Hoppé and Martin Parr, who have offered their own take on modern British identity in their photographs. These pictures form the backbone of a new group exhibit, An Ideal for Living, curated by Flora La Thangue on show now at the Beetles and Huxley gallery in London.

La Thangue traces Great Britain’s last hundred years – burdened by the weight of two costly world wars and a diminished empire – with photographs that express internal issues of class, custom and style. Included are images of leisure, riots, working class neighborhoods and 1960s counter culture, mixed with refreshing hints of British humor. There’s an uncomfortable tension between two waiting parlor maids and the lavished table settings in Bill Brandt’s black and white photograph. Charlie Phillips creates a similar tension in his 1967 portrait of a Notting Hill interracial couple. From urban to rural, landscape to portrait, the selected photographs acknowledge Britain’s diverse experiences and people.

As Britain’s new Prime Minister Theresa May initiates the country’s divorce from the E.U., photographers will continue chronicling their country. Their work, like the photographers in this show, will be an important record of this new chapter and contribute to the ever-changing definition of British culture.

An Ideal for Living: Photographing Culture, Class and Identity in Modern Britain opens on July 27 at Beetles and Huxley in London. It runs until Sept. 17.

Michael Bucher is a contributor at TIME LightBox.

Parlourmaid and Under Parlourmaid ready to serve dinner 1939
Parlourmaid and Under Parlourmaid ready to serve dinner 1939Bill Brandt Archive/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
May Ball, Cambridge, 1983
May Ball, Cambridge, 1983Jurgen Schadeberg/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
YOUNG LOCALS RELIEVING THE BURNED OUT LOCAL PUB 'THE WINDOW CASTLE' OF ITS CONTENTS ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE RIOTS, BRIXTON, APRIL, 1981
Young locals relieving the burned out local pub, "The Window Castle " of its contents the first night of the riots, Brixton, April 1981Neil Libbert/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Early Spring, Richmond Park, Surrey, 1925
Early Spring, Richmond Park, Surrey, 1925E.O. Hoppé estate Collection/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Soldier seen through shield, Northern Ireland, 1973
Soldier seen through shield, Northern Ireland, 1973Philip Jones Griffiths—Magnum/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Red hijab, red dress and bling from the series Honest With You, 2013
Red hijab, red dress and bling from the series Honest With You, 2013Mahtab Hussain/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
'Mill Girls, Elland, Yorkshire,' 1965
'Mill Girls, Elland, Yorkshire,' 1965John Bulmer/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Babs, Soho, London, 1987
Babs, Soho, London, 1987Derek Ridgers/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Keynes Country Park Beach, Shornecote, Gloucestershire, 11th May 2008
Keynes Country Park Beach, Shornecote, Gloucestershire, 11th May 2008Simon Roberts/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Mayor of Todmorden's inaugural banquet, Calderdale, 1977
Mayor of Todmorden's inaugural banquet, Calderdale, 1977Martin Parr—Magnum Photos/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
'Girls Dancing in Wolverhampton Club,' 1978
'Girls Dancing in Wolverhampton Club,' 1978 Chris Steele-Perkins—Magnum/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
'Notting Hill Couple,' 1967
'Notting Hill Couple,' 1967Charlie Phillips/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Glasgow, 1980
Glasgow, 1980Raymond Depardon—Magnum /Courtesy Beetles+Huxley
Picnic in the car park on Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse, June 2001
Picnic in the car park on Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse, June 2001Peter Dench—Getty Images Reportage/Courtesy Beetles+Huxley

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