a whitby street
I have always loved these sepia photographs by Victorian Frank Meadow Sutcliffe (b. 1853 – 1941). I have several framed prints. Although posed, there is a certain lack of self consciousness in a lot of these photographs. It did help that Sutcliffe actually knew these villagers. The fisher people are my favorite portraits. The character of these people shine through their faces. Theirs wasn’t an easy life, battling against the elements in order to live. They were hardy people though with loads of grit, as evidenced in their portraits.
Henry Freeman Lifesboat man and hero
Although born in Leeds Yorkshire, Sutcliffe seems to have been fascinated by Whitby and it’s people, capturing lots of its rural life and some of the surrounding villages on his camera. Sutcliffe had his studio in Whitby and lived just outside.
halcyon days
Sutcliffe chronicles a life that has all but disappeared. From capturing everyday working life to even the leisurely way people and animals moved down the lane. At work and at play, you get the feeling that these people communicated and cared for one another. There is a sense of community which I find quite charming.
A reassuring sense of community
Read all about this interesting photographer here
whitby harbour
The Sutcliffe Gallery UK is a rich source of Sutcliffe’s photographs. You can buy postcards and even framed prints here
The Sutcliffe Gallery Australia, lots of additional information on individual photos here
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