Sefton Samuels

Sefton Samuel Samuels
FRPS
Born(1931-01-27)27 January 1931
Manchester, England
Died26 July 2024(2024-07-26) (aged 93)
Manchester, England
OccupationPhotojournalist

Sefton Samuels (27 January 1931 – 26 July 2024) was a British photographer known for his photojournalistic portrayal of northern England. He was described by painter LS Lowry as his favourite photographer.[1][2] His style has been compared to that of photographer Bill Brandt.[3]

Shot over five decades, his pictures include images of George Best, LS Lowry, Coronation Street, Louis Armstrong and the changing culture and landscape of northern England. Around one hundred of Samuels' photographs are held in the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum.[4] He has also held exhibitions at the Barbican Centre, Kings Place and Proud Galleries.[5]

Life and work

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Samuels was born in Manchester in 1931.[6] He worked in the mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire and as a professional jazz drummer before turning to photography.[7]

He was a member of the Manchester Amateur Photographic Society and joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1960.[8] His photograph of George Best was used on the cover of Paul Weller's Stanley Road album designed by artist Peter Blake. Samuels' intimate images of LS Lowry at home were used as the basis for a life-size statue of the painter erected in a Manchester bar.[9][10] He had exhibitions at the Barbican Centre, Kings Place and Proud Galleries.[5] In 2011, Random House published a major collection of Samuels' work documenting the north of England over five decades, entitled Northerners: Portrait of a no-nonsense people.[11] He was interviewed about Northerners by his son, BBC documentary maker and broadcaster Tim Samuels, on The Culture Show on BBC Two.

Samuels died on 26 July 2024, at the age of 93.[6]

Awards

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Samuels was a winner at the 2011 Royal Academy of Arts Eyewitness awards—inspired by Brassaï and Robert Capa—for street photography he took in Madeira.[12] He gained his Associate (ARPS) of the Royal Photographic Society in December 1960[13] and Fellowship (FRPS) of the Royal Photographic Society in December 1965.[14]

Collections

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Around one hundred of Samuels' photographs are held in the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum.[15]

Exhibition (with others)

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References

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  1. ^ "Sefton Samuels: Sod Carnaby Street". London: Evening Standard. September 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Sod Carnaby Street". The Guardian. London. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
  3. ^ "Royal Photographic Society Journal, November 2011". London.
  4. ^ "Sefton Samuels". London: National Portrait Gallery.
  5. ^ a b "Sefton Samuels: Jazz Legends". London: Kings Place. October 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b "UNS: Photographer Sefton Samuels Dies At 93". Getty Archive. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ Taylor, Paul (21 September 2007). "Iconic images of cool Manchester". London: City Life. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  8. ^ The Photographic Journal, April 1960, p. 111. Accessed 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ Davis, Matthew (11 March 2011). "Photographer put Lowry statue in picture". London: Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  10. ^ "Statue of LS Lowry to sit in his Manchester local". BBC News. London. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  11. ^ "Northerners, by Sefton Samuels". London: The Independent. 10 July 2011.
  12. ^ "Royal Academy, Eyewitness".
  13. ^ The Photographic Journal, February 1961, p. 40. Accessed 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ The Photographic Journal, February 1966, p. 68. Accessed 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Sefton Samuels". London: National Portrait Gallery.
  16. ^ Tucker, Anthony (1963). "Nine Photographers Exhibition at Manchester". The Guardian. Manchester.
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