Shirley Baker : Women, Children and Loitering Men

Charming exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery of work by Shirley Baker.

These pictures looked at Manchester in the mid-20th century. This was a period when the old terraced houses were being knocked down and replaced by high rise buildings but these pictures show a strange midway world where people were living amongst the demolition work before moving to the new housing. There is a real sense of an embattled community.

The pictures of children were wonderful and raised a smile to your face as they seemed to use the frame of a pram as a toy or just hung round the streets. I also loved the dogs many of which seem to be related if looks were anything to go by!

Baker had a wonderful eye for a subject and the framing of a shot.

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