Brick Lane in London
Images of life, love, humour, and the surreal on London’s Brick Lane form the basis of this sumptuous catalogue of photographs. Today Brick Lane is a favourite tourist destination, famous for its street art and theatre, and colourful market stalls. For centuries it was a hub for immigrant communities entering Britain through the nearby docks on the River Thames.
Sonya and David Newell-Smith, whose careers began in professional news photojournalism, have spent decades recording the changing streetscape and vibrant personalities of this East End district. This publication serves as a tribute to their passion for street photography, for capturing a ‘decisive moment’, and for documenting everyday lives and diverse cultures, their interactions, and emotional connections. Scholarly texts accompany over 170 photographs curated by Sonya in memory of David (1937–2017).
Sonya (1946-) and David Newell-Smith (1937-2017) founded the Tadema Gallery in Islington's famed Camden Passage in 1978, following on from their successful careers as photojournalists. First specialising in 20th Century Abstract Art and the Decorative Arts of the 19th and 20th Centuries, in 1982 they discovered a passion for artist designed jewellery and made this their field of specialisation.