Hoppé at the National Portrait Gallery

'Tilly Losch, 1928' by E. O. Hoppé

Yesterday I visited the National Portrait Gallery to see an exhibition of photos by Emil Otto Hoppé.  Hoppé worked in London (and around the world) at the begining of the 20th century making portrait, travel and topographic images.  He was progressive for the time; with pared down aesthetics, ideas about capturing everyday people with hidden cameras and showing that beauty can cross boundaries of class and race.
I enjoyed the exhibition and the variation among the display categories of Society, Studio and Street.  The Society portraits are a veritable who's who of arts and culture in the early 20th century and the Street photos scrutinise the English like a foreign people, with all their peculiarities.  There was a particularly charming pic of a lady's behind as she mounted the stairs to exit the underground.  I couldn't find it on the web, so if you want a peek you'll have to shell out £11 for a ticket.  What I will show you are my sketches made in the show.  I was quite pleased with the way the last one looks like a Degas.

Warming up

Mimi Jordan, 1925

Tamara Karsavina as Columbine in Le Carnival, 1912

I'm expecting to see every open space in London resemble the picture below this weekend.  Bank Holiday Weekends + Sun mean everyone will be looking like lobsters by Tuesday.  Enjoy the sun and always wear sunscreen!

'A Cluster of Sunbathers, Bondi Beach, Sydney, 1930' by E. O. Hoppé