A vital insight
Amateur Photographer|July 02, 2024
Overlooked for decades, the archive of one of Britain's greatest photographers is being brought together in a new book. Peter Dench finds out more
Peter Dench
A vital insight

‘I’ve been recognised as an archivist – over the past 50 years, I have documented our life from an Afro Caribbean point of view, which has been left out of the mainstream history,’ says Charlie Phillips, once described by Time Out magazine as the greatest London photographer you’ve never heard of.

Phillips could also be one of the greatest photographers outside of London you’ve never heard of. That is changing. The Charlie Phillips archive funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund began in 2015. The website launched in 2018, marking the culmination of a painstaking and intensive project of restoring, cataloguing, and digitising Phillip’s vast collection of images. It provides a vital insight into some of the expressions of British identity and culture, with a focus on the multicultural character of Notting Hill during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.

Charlie Phillips – A Grassroots Legacy, a major new 240x320mm book by Bluecoat Press, was crowdfunded on Kickstarter and reached its target by the campaign deadline in June. The independently published collection promises to deliver on Phillips’ ethos of grassroots art and revolutionary spirit, bringing together highlights of his archive with over 100 tritone printed images.

Born in 1944 in Kingston, Jamaica, Phillips spent his early childhood with his grandparents in St Mary. Leaving them he arrived in England in August 1956 to join his parents who’d left their business employing six workers making tourist souvenirs, migrating to answer the post-war needs of the ‘mother country’.

They settled in London’s Notting Hill, now a gentrified neighbourhood, then regarded as a ghetto populated by Caribbean, Irish and Hungarian immigrants. A place of slum landlords. Race riots were just a few years away. It was unfamiliar and a long way from a childhood playing barefoot in the garden.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 02, 2024 من Amateur Photographer.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 02, 2024 من Amateur Photographer.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER مشاهدة الكل
140 years of change
Amateur Photographer

140 years of change

AP has become the world’s oldest surviving consumer photo magazine because we have moved with the times, says Nigel Atherton

time-read
2 mins  |
September 24, 2024
Preserving history in platinum
Amateur Photographer

Preserving history in platinum

A deep dive into the meticulous art of platinum printing, and the collaboration between the Royal Geographical Society and Salto Ulbeek. Mike Crawford explores how they brought historical photographs to life with enduring beauty and precision

time-read
7 mins  |
September 24, 2024
Life in the past lane
Amateur Photographer

Life in the past lane

What was life like for an amateur photographer in 1884? John Wade takes a trip back in time

time-read
3 mins  |
September 24, 2024
Choice cuts
Amateur Photographer

Choice cuts

How many trillions of photographs must have been taken in the past 140 years? Amy Davies asked some of our regular contributors for their favourites....a difficult task, to say the least

time-read
4 mins  |
September 24, 2024
How good a camera can you buy for just £140?
Amateur Photographer

How good a camera can you buy for just £140?

Three members of the AP team see what they can find for the money

time-read
5 mins  |
September 24, 2024
Round Five: The Best of the Rest
Amateur Photographer

Round Five: The Best of the Rest

The APOY judges choose their favourite images that didn’t make the top ten of our Landscapes category

time-read
3 mins  |
September 24, 2024
Amateur Photographer of the Year
Amateur Photographer

Amateur Photographer of the Year

Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Five, Landscapes, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge

time-read
4 mins  |
September 24, 2024
FILM STARS A lifetime of landmarks
Amateur Photographer

FILM STARS A lifetime of landmarks

Cameras that hit the headlines between then and now. John Wade is your guide

time-read
10+ mins  |
September 24, 2024
140 years of Amateur Photographer
Amateur Photographer

140 years of Amateur Photographer

As AP celebrates its 140th birthday next month, Nigel Atherton looks back at its glorious past

time-read
8 mins  |
September 24, 2024
John Wade considers...World War II: Home Front 1940, by A.J O'Brien
Amateur Photographer

John Wade considers...World War II: Home Front 1940, by A.J O'Brien

Say the word 'Wall's' to those of a certain age and two things spring to mind: sausages and ice cream.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024