Getty Images Gallery is delighted to announce the return and introduction of more than sixty works from the Picture Post archive. Published between 1938 and 1957, Picture Post was the premier British news magazine of the day and is widely considered a high-water mark for British photojournalism. Launched under the editorship of Hungarian émigré Stefan Lorant—who left Germany after being imprisoned by Hitler—the magazine was staunchly antifascist and sympathetic to social causes. The staff photographers were a mix of Brits and Europeans schooled in the classic style of 35mm Continental photojournalism. The resulting editorial formula combined politics with popular culture from the halls of power to back alleys. At its peak, the magazine was read by one out of every three island residents.

The third and final collection of Picture Post photography is decidedly glamorous. The selection is drawn from the 1950s, a time when the Post began to feature more stories focused on stars of the stage and screen as well as the recovery and growth of the fashion industry. The magazine’s post-war editorial shift was a natural progression as the public looked for lighter stories following years of conflict and suffering.

Though considered to be lighter news, the photographers’ in-depth approach to covering these stories remained unchanged. Photographers such as Bert Hardy, Kurt Hutton and John Chillingworth spent days (or weeks) with their subjects until they (and their editors) were satisfied the story had been covered from all angles. The resulting images – which are intimate and uncontrived – reveal the unique fruits of their approach and depth of their skills. Now available as museum quality resin and fibre prints, alongside modern Perspex face‑mounts and ChromaLuxe.

Browse the Picture Post Limited Edition Signed Portfolio.