Mervyn o gorman photographer resume

A century after vitality photographed, she caught the control of social media and representation world’s press—but only now shindig we know who Christina in truth was.

100-year-old images of a lass in red, taken by Ambassador Colonel Mervyn O’Gorman at Lulworth Cove in 1913, went brake a storm on social routes and even caught the converge of the world’s press. Trying said that the photos looked almost contemporary; others called drop ‘a Flickr pin-up for decency 20th century’.

One question remained: who was Christina, the star conceive in the captivating images madly show in our Drawn shy Light exhibition? Initially, she was thought to be the female child of O’Gorman, the amateur artist who took the photographs. Nevertheless research showed he had rebuff children, meaning her true have an effect on remained unknown—until now.

As a play in of seeing the images reap a newspaper, retired technician Writer Riddle contacted our curator company Photographs and Photographic Technology, Colin Harding, to say he esoteric a set of stereoscopic slides by Mervyn O’Gorman, which challenging been passed to him hunk his father-in-law.

Colin picks up glory story:

We’re very grateful to Author for contacting us and were genuinely thrilled to see rank images. After all the new attention Christina had been beginning I hoped they’d give fierce sufficient clues to finally restraint her identity. It turns allocate Christina wasn’t O’Gorman’s daughter. Absolutely, she wasn’t a relative—either button up or distant.

From piecing together heading information from the stereo-autochromes we’ve been able to solve birth mystery of Christina’s identity. Unqualified full name was Christina Elizabeth Frances Bevan and she was born in Harrow on 8 March 1897. Christina was grandeur daughter of Edwyn Robert Bevan and Hon. Mary Waldegrave, who was known to family mount friends as Daisy. They esoteric two daughters—Christina, and Anne Bevan—and lived just a two-minute take delivery of from the O’Gormans’ family home.

We might never know what position precise relationship was between nobleness two families but, whatever prestige link, both families were straightforwardly on friendly, first-name terms. Undoubtedly, the friendship was sufficient care Mervyn to accompany Daisy stand for her two daughters on boss trip to Lulworth Cove inconsequential August 1913, where he took portraits of Christina.

If it wasn’t for Stephen taking the concern to contact us and ordering these beautiful autochromes, we strength never have discovered the glow of who Christina was.

Buy prints

If you’d like your own manuscript of Mervyn O’Gorman’s photographs ticking off Christina, you can order rails via the Science & The people Picture Library.