Museum Of London's Next Exhibition Will Reveal The City At Night

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 81 months ago
Museum Of London's Next Exhibition Will Reveal The City At Night
Photograph by Nick Turpin from Through a Glass Darkly © Nick Turpin

London in the sun is all well and good, but let's not forget it's often at its best in the thick of night.

200 photos and film clips from the 19th century to the present day form part of Museum of London's next major exhibition, which focuses on the city's nightlife.

London Nights will feature photos from renowned photographers including Bill Brandt, Alvin Langdon Coburn and Rut Blees Luxemburg, as well as lesser-known artists.

Buckingham Palace from the north east at night. George Davison Reid

Split into three parts, the exhibition will also cover the darker side of the capital at night, bringing visitors out of their comfort zone by alluding to the fear of the unknown, including the blackout of the Blitz.

Night meeting at the Blackfriars Shelter c.1910

The final part of the exhibition will look at Londoners working and playing in the city after dark, including the commute home, those clocking on for the night shift, and, of course, people heading for a night out.

A group of teddy boys outside Burger Bar 1962 (C) Henry Grant_Museum of London

Anna Sparham, Curator of Photography at the Museum of London, said

Through powerful photography London Nights will explore everything from the twinkling lights and buzzing nightlife to the darker, more uncomfortable vulnerability that sometimes arises in the urban, or suburban night environment.

A programme of themed events will run alongside the exhibition. The bad news: you'll have to wait a while to see this — it doesn't start until May 2018.

Trafalgar Square and St Martin in the Fields 1920 to 1933. Photograph by George Davidson Reid

London Nights will run at Museum of London, 11 May-11 November 2018.

Last Updated 27 June 2017