MAYNE, ROGER (Born 1929)

Roger Mayne was born in Cambridge, and studied Chemistry at Oxford University, where he began to take photographs. By 1951 he had begun to contribute pictures to 'Picture Post' and, in 1954, he moved to London, determined to forge a career as a freelance photographer. He met with modest success, taking on various projects that included photographing the artists that lived and worked in St Ives, Cornwall.

1956 was a breakthrough year for Mayne as his portraits were exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, and at George Eastman House, New York. That same year, he began his seminal study of Southam Street in West London, which continued intermittently for five years. It remains his most important work, and established his reputation as an influential photojournalist. In the series, he documented daily life, with particular focus on children and their outdoor games. The original series is now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and is a valuable record of London's urban environment in the 1950s.

Mayne married the actor, director and playwright, Ann Jellicoe, in 1962, with whom he collaborated on several projects including 'The Shell Guide to Devon' (1975). He is best known for his black and white work from the 1950s, but was a significant contributor (in colour) to 'The Sunday Times Magazine' in the 1960s, and continued to be in demand as a photographer into the twenty-first century.