Last chance to relive Swinging Sixties at Hampstead gallery
Locked away for more than half a century, a collection of photographs capturing the essence of the Swinging Sixties has gone on show for the first time at a Hampstead gallery.
Philip Townsend’s snapshots – most of them taken while he was working for the Daily Express – have gone on display at Zebra Gallery, including photographs of Lulu, Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland.
The collection is a testament to a bygone era when celebrity photography was an art form, not a cash cow.
Mr Townsend, who got his first job working for Tatler magazine in the late 1950s, said: “I fell out of love with it, with paparazzi coming in and the relationship with celebrities changing.
“I came across it at Rex Harrison’s (star of Dr Dolittle) wedding with all these stupid little guys with cameras running around. They haven’t changed much.
You may also want to watch:
“People started to take the whole thing so seriously. Before that you could just ring them up and ask to go round and take a picture, but that faded away.”
Mr Townsend often worked with Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham at his home in Hampstead. The pair produced some of the first photographs of the band.
Most Read
- 1 Explore 8 of north London's prettiest streets
- 2 O2 Centre redevelopment: Decision draws on Camden planning guidance
- 3 Crouch End salesman who nursed mum runs marathon for Diabetes UK
- 4 'Family unit': 28 Church Row wins readers' favourite restaurant
- 5 'The Bell of Hampstead': New pub to take over Cork and Bottle site
- 6 Anger as second audit into £23m 'Mary Celeste' office block is delayed
- 7 'Survived the storm': West Hampstead's The Alliance Pub wins reader's poll
- 8 Free festival to take over the streets of Camden
- 9 Haringey Green Lanes flat fire sees 40 firefighters tackle blaze
- 10 Christmas at Kenwood: 'Winter wonderland' primed for Hampstead Heath
The display will be taken down tomorrow (Thursday), but the gallery is hosting a drinks evening tonight between 6-8pm when Mr Townsend will speak about his work.
