An on-going exhibition which opened earlier this year (with another commencing in 2011) showcases the royal portraiture of Marcus Adams. Marcus opened his Children’s Studio on Dover Street, London in 1920. He quickly established a reputation as a leading child photographer through his ability to capture the personality of his young sitters, who included the children of the writers A.A. Milne and Agatha Christie. Adams wanted his subjects to feel completely at ease, believing that photography was ‘ninety-five per cent psychology and only five per cent mechanical’. The studio was filled with gadgets and toys, and had no visible equipment or dazzling lights. Instead, Adams built a special camera in the form of a toy cabinet, which he operated remotely while he moved about and talked to the children. As many as 200 photographs would be taken during a typical royal sitting, resulting in at least 50 successful images. A number of the portraits were kept by the Royal Family, some were published in newspapers and magazines, and others appeared on postcards, postage stamps, calendars, commemorative china, and even biscuit tins and jigsaw puzzles.
Details of both exhibitions can be found here and here.
Photos: Marcus Adams; Prince Charles by Marcus Adams bromide print, 1953
9 5/8 in. x 7 1/2 in. (244 mm x 191 mm) Purchased, 1980; Primary Collection, NPG P140(27);
Walton Adams is Reading's oldest commercial and family photographic business established since 1867.
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