John Ashton, archivist at Bradford Museums Photo Archive will present a show-and-tell session on the Belle Vue Photographic Studio, as featured in BBC documentary Hidden History: The Lost Portraits of Bradford.

Originally established in 1902, the Belle Vue Studio at 118 Manningham Lane in Bradford became one of the city’s best-known photographic  portrait studios. During the 1950s, Belle Vue became a hotspot for families new to Bradford, wishing to document their lives. These  portraits were sent to relatives in Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, the Caribbean, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

The studio closed its doors in 1975 and much of the original work was lost along with most written records. In 1985 17,000 glass negatives were rescued from a skip and acquired by Bradford District Museums and Galleries. However, the names of the people in almost all the portraits remain a mystery.

Half a century later what stories have been uncovered about the people in the portraits? John will offer insights and share objects and photographs salvaged when the studio closed its doors in 1975.

Free event. Booking advised via Art Tickets or call the gallery on 01274 737843.

Feed Your Mind is our ongoing series of informal, insightful lunchtime talks inspired by our exhibition programme. The talk will take place in the gallery where our current exhibition Invisible Britain: This Separated Isle presents contemporary range of diverse photographic portraits of people from across the UK.

Image © Bradford District Museums and Galleries.