Down and Out in London?

This chapter discusses the politics of photography in the representation of the Elephant and Castle district of London at two pivotal historical moments, points at which the area was subject to impending large-scale redevelopment, taking on a heightened presence in London's political landscape. The photographic projects we will explore, Life in the Elephant (1948) and a series of the same title taken in 2005, are apposite in illustrating the difficulties of reading the commissioning and execution of photographs, the content of photographic images, and their editing, display and reception, in terms of political motives or ideologies. ² The award-winning 1948 photographs were taken by Bert Hardy in collaboration with the journalist A.L. (Bert) Lloyd as a photo-essay for publication in Picture Post with a text by Lloyd. ³ Iconic in their intimate depiction of working-class life in post-war London - an intimacy that resulted from the new proximity afforded by the development of more portable camera technology ⁴ - they show everyday spaces, such as street scenes, backyards and slum interiors, just prior to the dramatic physical and social transformation produced through the London County Council-led (LCC) redevelopment of the area in the mid-1950s and early 1960s. ⁵