Edwin Smith (1912-1971) was an English photographer who had a special relationship with the landscape and architecture of the British Isles and Europe.
A complete index of articles relating to Edwin Smith & Olive Cook may be viewed here.
These articles about him, his life and work, are intended to provide some background for students, researchers and others interested in his unique place in British photographic history.
Although I never knew Edwin personally, I became close friends with his widow, the artist and author Olive Cook (1912-2002), and for many years printed Edwin's negatives for her to meet the continuing demand for his work. This section of the site is dedicated to Olive, a remarkable individual who did so much to keep her late husband's legacy alive.
Some of Olive's writings are being incorporated into this section, particularly those she wrote for Matrix magazine.
Some photographs by Edwin Smith, from my own collection, may be viewed here. For a comprehensive collection of his photographic work, please visit the RIBA Library Collection.
In addition to these articles, I often post short pieces about Edwin Smith and his work in the Blog section. Use the search box top left to locate all references.
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Photographers
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Written by Roy Hammans
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Tuesday, 15 April 2008 18:29 |
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Edwin Smith, the photographer, produced quintessential images of English architecture, landscapes, gardens and interiors.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 June 2009 08:55 |
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Photographers
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Written by Roy Hammans
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Tuesday, 12 May 2009 09:39 |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 May 2009 09:41 |
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Photographers
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Written by Brian Human
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 19:50 |
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Despite his claim that he was a photographer only ‘by necessity’, Edwin Smith was one of the most important British photographers of the 20th century. His simple yet distinctive style showed both his unerring visual perception of form and his love of architecture from the vernacular to the grand. The importance of his work derives both from its quality and its breadth. Yet, despite the limited recognition he received during his lifetime and the more prominent promotion of his work by his widow, Olive Cook, following his death, he remains something of an enigma.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 April 2009 09:28 |
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Photographers
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Written by Roy Hammans
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008 16:38 |
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These photographs were on the roll of film that still lay, undeveloped, in Edwin's Ensign Autorange camera when Olive gave it to me in 1993. I processed the 22 year-old roll with great care and was astonished to find it contained usable images.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 November 2008 08:27 |
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Photographers
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Written by Brian Human
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 14:51 |
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 In 1940 the Focal Press published Edwin Smith’s All the Photo Tricks; this is doubly curious. It is rather at odds with Smith’s photographic mantra of ‘cooperating with the inevitable’ and a somewhat tricky undertaking when the evidence suggests that, as a conscientious objector, he spent much of the War years playing hide and seek with the authorities. This is just one of the curiosities of Smith’s life.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 07:27 |
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Photographers
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Written by Roy Hammans
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Friday, 03 October 2008 22:56 |
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A review of the latest book on Edwin Smith and his work: Evocations of Place, published in the Daily Telegraph on August 18, 2007.
"A photographer who conveys the apparent timelessness of England's landscape, and its vulnerability, is Edwin Smith".
Read the full review here. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 07:27 |
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