How We Are: Photographing Britain

Variety is the name of the game at Tate Britain's first major photography exhibition. Photography fans, alongside those with an interest in British history, sociology, fashion, or just intrigued by what it means to be British, can all enjoy this wonderfully eclectic collection.

The exhibition kicks off with the early stages of photography, through over 500 diverse photographs, leading up to the present day. With such a mix of different eras and subject matter, there's a constant change of feeling throughout. Celebrated photographers' famous shots, of famous faces, appear alongside amateurs' equally intriguing images. One minute you can be looking at the epitome of cool in the form of David Bailey's iconic images of Mick Jagger and Michael Caine. The next you're gazing at a picture of a pile of potatoes!

Roger Mayne
Southam Street 1956 - 1961
© Victoria and Albert Museum
Silver gelatin print

Wolfgang Suschitzky
Charing Cross Road: Man reading c.1936–7
© The artist
Modern gelatin silver print from original negative
38.5 x 28 cm

There's a strong sense of romanticism about the past as we witness Welsh ladies in traditional costume enjoying tea together, and Covent Garden flower sellers reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle. You'll see stunning starlets, positioned next to unknown families enjoying a day at the seaside. There's plenty of grime reality too, in the form of so-called lunatic asylum patients and images of reconstructive surgery. Particularly powerful are Paul Seawright's haunting photographs of crime scenes, many of which are also picturesque beauty spots, accompanied by their shocking newspaper headlines.

Shirley Baker
Hulme, Manchester 1965
© The artist
C type print
12 x 16 inch

Experience the amazing ability of an image to tell so much about someone. Like Peter Henry Emerson's ‘An Eel Catcher's Home', which seems to capture to essence of the man's home and work life as well his emotions. Others give us only the barest glimpse of a subject, leaving us desperate to know more. While some exhibits, such as Susan Lipper's ‘British Bed & Breakfast' series, speak volumes about the eccentricity of Britishness.

Visitors are clearly shown how photography plays an important part in preserving our past, reliving memories and expressing our creativity. We can only wonder what the next 150 years will look like. So cool Britannia certainly, cruel Britannia sometimes, bizarre Britannia yes, boring Britannia – never!

Nancy Hellebrand
Marion in a Bed Sitter July 1974
© Copyright Nacy Hellebrand
Silver Gelatin

Jason Evans
Strictly 1991
© Photograph by Jason Evans,
Styling by Simon Foxton
C-type print
19 x 19 cm

Tate Britain is also encouraging visitors to contribute their images to the exhibition. The 40 winning images will become part of the display in the final weeks of the exhibition and archived on Tate Online. Are you ready to rise to the challenge? You will be once you’ve seen this inspiring exhibition.

How We Are runs until 2nd September 2007
Tickets £7.50
See website for further details