Here at Londonist, we love an old black and white photo of London. So for us, Wandsworth Museum's upcoming exhibition looks like being a bit of a winner.
Portrait of London is a new photography show presenting historic images from the museum's archive, alongside others from the Museum of London's extensive collection. There'll be more than 60 images on display.
Those on loan from the Museum of London include a captivating photo of a suffragette stand at the Women's Exhibition of 1909, which looks both similar and different to the activities going on around Women’s Day in London this week, more than 100 years later. There's also a photograph of Trafalgar Square from 1857, taken by Roger Fenton who’s widely regarded as the most popular and influential British photographer of the 1850s. You can even see the earliest known photographic image of London, from 1839.
In addition to the Museum of London's photos, you can see an exciting selection of historic photos of the Borough of Wandsworth from Wandsworth Museum’s own archive. Many of these images haven't been exhibited for more than a decade. These 19th- and early 20th-century images are drawn from all reaches of the borough: Balham, Battersea, Earlsfield, Putney, Roehampton, Southfields, Tooting and Wandsworth.
The exhibition should give you a fantastic insight London's past: the buildings that failed to stand the test of time; others that still remain, looking a little more squashed in in today’s landscape; and into how our predecessors lived and worked in this great city of ours. Get down there and take a look at how your neighbourhood and lifestyle has changed in the last 200-odd years.
Portrait of London is at the Wandsworth Museum, 38 West Hill, Wandsworth, London, SW18 from 8 March to 12 August. Admission is £4; £3 for concessions. The museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm. Visit www.wandsworthmuseum.co.uk to find out more.
