London Yesterday. Leben in den 20er und 30er Jahren [Gebundene Ausgabe]

This review is unique for me, in that it is possible that this review may have more words than the book I'm describing. Not surprising, really, given that this is a book of photographs. 'London Yesterday' is a great collection of photographs showing life in London during the 1920s and 1930s.

During this time, London was still the centre of the empire upon which the sun never set; World War II was not really even a looming prospect, and while there were cracks in the edifice, London still displayed the centuries-old confidence of the ruler of the waves and impregnable power of a world capital. This was also a period of advancing technology and glorious construction not always peacefully coexisting with traditional ways and ancient monuments.

One thing is certain in the photographs - London was a busy place. The authors state that London brought people and goods together from every corner of the earth, and fostered a worldly generosity that was visibly most predominant in its architecture and urban planning. In contrast to its cosmopolitan character, however, London had another side - the resolute world of native Londoners whose close knit circles were virtually impossible to penetrate.

The photographs contained in this book are not 'artistic' photographs, in that none of them were taken by photographers who were looking to make an artistic statement. These are primary press photographs and personal photographs. These are not 'constructed' or posed, but rather candid. However, this is not to say that there is no artistic merit - 70 years after this period, the aesthetic character of the photographs is such that they are interesting, stimulating, and have meaning beyond their original photographers' intentions.

The authors write that press photographers have always been aware of how important a strong visual impact is for the printed page. Most know through experience that the most unusual subject is worthless if it is inadequately or unconvincingly portrayed. Conversely, a perfect photographic execution can turn a banal, everyday subject into a work of art.

The photos begin with an early glimpse of Fleet Street, looking up toward St. Paul's Cathedral. In this one sees ancient and modern, from the seventeenth century dome of the cathedral to the twentieth century storefronts; Advertising placards and storesigns advertise everything from rooms to let to 1,10 & 14 year old whisky. The street is a combination of trucks, early automobiles, double-decker buses, and horse-drawn delivery carts.

The splendour of London architecture, from the then-relatively-new Parliament building, to the bridges, to the churches, to palaces and elegant streets are highlighted in interesting and unusual angles. The congestion of London streets around these great structures parallels the congestion in the river of barges, tug-boats, smaller crafts and docks on the river Thames.

During this period of photographs, construction was widespread. There are photos of the foundations and various phases of Waterloo bridge, Lambeth Bridge, County Hall, Piccadilly Circus Underground Station and the BBC Radio building. Also during this period, some of the first aerial photographs were taken of London, and many of these are included. In 1931, the International Illumination Congress was held in London, celebrating the proliferation of electric lighting - for the first time, historic buildings such as Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace were illuminated at night, and this illumination continues to the delight of Londoners and tourists alike.

The photograph of a 'traffic jam' in Ludgate Circus, with its 20 fairly wide-spaced vehicles looks like a gentle movement of traffic in comparison to traffic jams today. On the other hand, the large throng of people at Petticoat Lane Market a few days before Christmas 1936 is reminiscent of the crush of people at Harrods or any of the major shopping streets today - the crowd is so large that the street has been closed off to traffic in this view.

Perhaps the best photograph of this collection is the one of a herd of pigs crossing Camden Road on their way to market. A stoic London bobby holds his hands up for traffic as he would for any passing vehicle, and the pigs, a few dozen of them, pass in from of what would now be antique cars and crossing the bricked streets with streetcar rails. Nice row houses in the background are obscured by a light mist.

Concluding with a photo of the coronation procession in 1937, George VI's coronation inaugurated a very changed Britain. Little did anyone know what changes would occur in the next decade, that would change everything in London, and in the world, forever. The last glimpse of imperial confidence in what may be the greatest imperial pageant shows the light that we now know was flickering and dimming. It is a bittersweet recollection to look back. It is a wonderful thing to see.